The Flowers Beyond the Marble
by browniemagic 101
Summary: In the Beginning, there were the Gods. They created and they destroyed. They built, and razed. And They loved and hated. And then there was the Order of The Stone. These, friends and companions, found themselves trapped between these things The Gods created. But there is a darkness coming, and these friends, this order, might not make it out alive. (Title inspired by AimsiesMoo)
1. Chapter 1

_In the Portal Hallway_

"Guys! C'mon C'mon! We gotta g-oh!"

The blond tripped upon the threshold of the portal and fell, sliding a little as his momentum carried him forward, his shouts abruptly cut off."

"Lukas! Are you okay!?" A brunette ran through this time, sword in hand in a ready fighting stance as he emerged. A girl and another man, this one older than the rest, ran through as well, weapons and potions at the ready.

The only response they got from the blond was weak grumble as he peeled himself of the ground.

The brunette chuckled and put away his sword, "You good Lukas?" Lukas looked up and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, just took a little tumble after falling out of the portal. How 'bout you Jesse?" He shrugged and said a quick 'fine' before turning to his friends.

"How about you? Petra? Ivor?"

The redhead, Petra, coughed out the smoke that still seemed to reside in her lungs, "Smokey, but otherwise okay."

The older man scowled, "Physically, yes, fine. But emotionally, wounded! All those potions! Those books! Gone, wasted!" Lukas rolled his eyes but smiled in sympathy, "Yeah, yeah Ivor. We get it."

Jesse chuckled at his friends antics, but let out a groan as he faced the still swirling and fully activated portal that they just escaped from. Lukas noticed his stare and looked to the portal as well, "Let's avoid this part of the hallway from now on huh? Seems to only hold the worst of the worlds so far, that or maybe we're just really, really unlucky."

Petra chuckled, "Yeah, pretty sure we're all out of good luck at this point. But hey, who knows, maybe we'll find it through the next portal." Almost immediately, the atmosphere grew dim and heavy. 'It' quickly replaced home after the 50 something door, and hope was closing fast.

Lukas knelt down quickly and wrote in his ever growing map of the Hallway their previous portal adventure 'The Brewing Desert.' He stood up and addressed the others, "Well, looks like we're just going to have to keep searching. Who wants to pick next?"

Jesse and the others looked towards Lukas who held the map for them all to see. The ones they had already been to were marked while the others remained blank. Lukas pointed to a section of the Hallway where almost all the doors were marked, except for one. "I think we should start here, cuz if we don't, this entire map is going to drive me crazy!" Petra nodded, "Yeah, I agree with Lukas. We can just cross off an entire section off the map and be done with it. Also yeah, that one unmarked spot is annoying me." Ivor agreed as well, muttering how the portal just added unneeded disorder to the map.

Jesse stood up and faced his friends, "Well, I guess that settles it! Let's go guys!"

-Cut scene to when they get to the portal-

"Alright, Lukas you sure this is the right one? Cuz it does look kind of familiar." Petra addressed the shorter male. The New Order of the Stone had just arrived at the portal. White marble with golden flecks embedded in the shining stone. The actual portal was like a crystal, white with slight color bouncing in it. Some golden dust seemed to be coming out of it as well. Lukas nodded taking a quick glance at his map, "Yeah, this is it. And yeah it does look pretty familiar, but that's probably because we've passed it so many times going through the other portals."

Petra glanced up, "Yeah, that's probably it. We have enough supplies to last a few days right? We don't want to end up back in a place like 'Water World' right."

Lukas shivered as memories of rainbow squids with laser vision filled his head. Maybe he should have named it 'Laser Squid Hell' instead. "Yeah, uh, let's never do that again." Jesse nodded.

Ivor rolled his eyes and walked ahead, "Well if we don't want to just stand here all day, then I suggest we get moving!" Petra rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ivor needs to calm down." before walking after him into the portal. Lukas went in as Jesse backed everyone else up, "Let's just hope that this world isn't as crazy and 'Fire Land'."

The New Order of the Stone disappeared into yet another world, but this one would take them on their weirdest adventure yet, full of myths from their world that may not be so 'mythical' there.

-On the other side-

"Woah."

"This is amazing!"

"Wow, this isn't home but it is something."

Petra, Lukas, and Jesse were held awestruck as they took in the view in front of them. The new Order stood at the far edge of a canyon where the portal was hidden in a small overledge of a cliff. The world in front of them was magnificent. The canyon was Huge! A giant lake rested in the middle as waterfalls from either side of the canyon fed into its waters, rainbow after rainbow being formed as the mist was hit by sunlight. Huge green trees littered the forest floor as wild flowers and other shrubs and vines climbed the stone walls of the canyon. The water was a crystal blue and the sky was clear and sun,or suns as there were two, climbed high in the sky. It was morning.

"Now this looks like paradise."

Ivor stood beside Lukas as he studied a plant. White stemmed with purple petals and a blue stripe. Hesitantly, Ivor took the plant quickly and closed his eyes. The last time he had done that he had been sprayed by a mist which gave him rashes for days. This time though, nothing happened. Ivor stared at the flower in his hand in awe, it was new and he had to, just had to keep it for further research.

Jesse and Petra walked over to the edge and leaned over, almost giving Lukas a heart attack, to see how far the drop was. And it was Far. Petra gave out a low long whistle as she kicked a rock over the edge, "That, is a looong way down." Lukas walked up to them and gently grabbed at their sleeves, tugging them away, "Which is why I'd like you both to step away before you fall down."

Petra rolled her eyes at Lukas' behavior which he caught out of the corner of his eye. He pinned his redheaded friend with a half hearted glare, "Maybe I wouldn't be so worried about you two if you guys hadn't decided it'd be an _excellent idea_ to jump off of one of the birds in 'The raised Isles' only five days ago." Jesse had the decency to smile sheepishly as Petra let out a laugh at the memory, the look on the blonde's face was hilarious. Lukas sighed and looked around for Ivor, growing increasingly worried when he couldn't spot him.

"Ivor! Where are you?" Lukas shouted. Petra and Jesse started looking as well, irritation as plain as day on their faces. "IVOR!"

"Down here!" Lukas hurried over to the side of their ledge and peered over. Ivor sat next to a peculiar flower with a gold stem and white petals with glowing blue stripes. Lukas looked to the vines hanging to the side and grabbed them, starting the slow descent down.

Ivor waited for the others before gesturing to the plant before them, it's petals seemed to give off a light as the sun's rays hit it. It seemed otherworldly. Which was technically true since they were in another world afterall.

Lukas knelt down in front of the flower, eyes bright as he studied it, "This is definitely something we don't have back home. Petra, Lukas can either of you climb back up and build something so we know where to return to when we're done exploring? Or is the portal gone like with the others?"

"Huh, let me check." Jesse clambered back up the vines, his weight doing nothing to aid him as he struggled. Going up was much harder than going down. Jesse finally got back to the top and rested, gathering his strength and went to see if the portal was still there.

"Sorry Lukas! Looks like it's gone, just like the rest of them!" Jesse slid down the vines leading to their little perch with the flower. Lukas nodded, finishing his drawing of the flower and putting his journal away. "It's fine Jesse," He flashed a smile at his friend, "We'll just have to start looking then. At least it's not like 'Void Valley.'" Jesse shuddered as the memories of eternal darkness clouded his mind. It was terrifying, seeing absolutely nothing with only your friends to provide company.

Petra and Ivor shuddered as well, "Yeah, let's be grateful that this place is beautiful." Ivor nodded, huffing as they climbed down the vines to actual ground. Lukas in the front, Petra and Ivor behind him, and Jesse going last.

As soon as they all touched the ground, an unearthly screech filled the air causing the New Order to cover their ears as they ducked beneath the trees. Underneath the branched, Jesse managed to get a glimpse of what appeared to be a giant bird. Only this bird had four wings and silver talons. It's entire body was pure white except for the dark red marks starting at its head and flowing to its wings. It was beautiful. It wasn't until the man got off the bird that Jesse even noticed him. The bird gave a final screech before settling down and closing its eyes.

Petra grabbed Lukas' sleeve and tugged harshly, "What the heck is that thing!" Suddenly the bird's head shot up and looked down towards the forest floor.

For a moment, nobody breathed in fear of being caught. They didn't exactly know if the natives were friends or not, they didn't even know if this place was eve inhabited. Then the bird relaxed and continued to doze.

Ivor's eyes were wide as he stared at the magnificent bird he had only heard in stories. He shook Jesse and Petra as he hissed silently in their ears, "Don't you know what that is! It's a thunderbird, I've only heard about these in stories! Legend has it that these birds only let those worthy enough to ride them, but humankind got greedy and drove them to extinction! It's a miracle to find them here!"

"Yes, it is a miracle indeed." A low voice sprouted from the trees behind them.

Immediately they had their weapons out, Ivor being almost weaponless other than a meek sword and a few potions stood in the back next to Lukas wielding his bow.

The brushes rustled as a stranger came into view, a dark blue cloak over his head hiding his face. The stranger chuckled and held out his hands, "Relax, please. I only came to know who has entered our world. We don't get many visitors." Seeing as no one faltered, except for maybe Lukas whose bow was no long drawn but was still held up. The cloaked man sighed and reached up, "Relax, I am only taking off my hood. Then will you trust me?"

Jesse, Petra, and Lukas shared a look. Petra and Lukas nodded, knowing they had to find answers and this guy seemed to know what was going on. Jesse looked at the cloaked figure and nodded. The stranger nodded and took off the cloak.

The stranger was beautiful weirdly enough. Dark mocha skin decorated in small scars with warm amber eyes set in a kind and slightly stubbled face. His ears were pierced with a few crystal earrings with a chain from the top of his ear to the lobe. His black hair he wore in ponytail of long dreadlocks, decorated with thin purple and blue strings. He smiled to reveal shining white teeth that seemed to make his entire image even more beautiful.

The New Order was shocked, they had expected a burly soldier with yellow teeth and stinging words, only to be confronted by a kind guard with amazing features. The stranger's eyes roamed over them, but stopped to stare at Lukas second more before glancing at Ivor and quickly back to Jesse.

He held out his hand for the leader of the New Order to take, surprise filling his eyes before acceptance and gratitude took over as they shook hands, "Forgive me for startling you, I am James. May I know your names." His eyes ventured quickly back to Lukas before looking at petra who had cleared her throat. "Hi, I'm Petra. That's Lukas," the blond waved, "that's Ivor," the older man nodded, "and that's our leader Jesse." He offered a smile at James, slightly intimidated by the other man's good looks.

James only offered a small chuckle as he observed their little group, "I was ordered to come here to pick up any of the strangers that happened to visit our world. I do apologize but you will have to came with me back to the village, our Leader would like to meet you."

Lukas smiled brightly, "Well you seem nice and polite and have only been kind to us as far, I think that it's only fair we follow you." Jesse and Petra nodded. James hasn't shown any signs of wanting to kill them so far so they were willing to trust him, if only a little bit.

James smiled and brought his fingers up to his mouth and whistled. The trees behind James rustled before another Thunderbird appeared, this one the same as the other but with purple marks instead of red ones. Looking at it up close made Jesse feel like a mouse.

James smiled brightly as he saw the group's faces filled with awe and wonder, "This is Thunderhead! He is a bit new to this so apologies if he does something unexpected." A loud screech echoed just above them. Stunned and alarmed the group came face to face of the other Thunderbird as he lowered himself, pining them if a golden stare. James laughed at their startled faces, "It's okay new friends. This is merely Lightening, he is the fastest bird alive in the village." James swung himself upright onto Lightening as he fixed the group with a proud and slightly giddy stare, "So, who wants to ride with me."


	2. Chapter2- The Village

" _So, who wants to ride with me?"_

Lukas and James ended up riding together as Jesse, Petra, and Ivor weren't as ready to fly on the 'fastest bird in the village' quite yet. James helped Jesse, Petra, and Ivor onto their bird first before climbing his and positioning Lukas in front of him so he wouldn't fall off.

James and Lukas laughed silently at the terrified looks on Jesse's and Ivor's faces as their bird moved around restlessly. Ivor nearly letting go of the reins and sliding off his seat as Thunderhead moved to stand by him and James.

Petra laughed as Jesse's hold around her tightened as Thunderhead lifted his head, almost sending him and Ivor sprawling to the ground.

"Remember to hook your feet through the loops on the saddle!" James shouted over the screeching of Lightning and Thunderhead. They put their feet through the loops and adjusted themselves slightly to stay on the bird. James laughed at their still panicked faces and grasped the reins.

He tugged them and whistled, silencing the birds and calling them to attention. Lukas and Jesse almost screamed when Lightning's head turned a full 180 to look at James. He laughed and kicked his heel against the saddle and tugged the reins again. Immediately, Thunderhead and Lightning's four wings raised and started beating against the ground. Lightning leaped up first, going at least 20 feet in the air before his wings started flapping, propelling them into the sky.

Lukas stared wide eyed at the forest floor. The giant trees only looking like shrubs and the two suns shining over the lake. From this height he could see the flocks of multicolored birds of all sorts, some new to him, flying around them. A few came closer to see the Thunderbird.

Jesse gave a shout as Lightning took off, the giant gust of wind from his wings causing him to shield his eyes with one hand while the his other tightened around Petra.

"Urgh, no offence Jesse but if your held gets any tighter I think you might just break a few ribs."

Immediately his grip slackened, "Sorry Petra!" He looked up and saw that the Thunderbird was quickly becoming a dot in the sky. Suddenly Thunderhead let out a screech and leaped as well, abou 10 feet in the air before flapping his wings a bit clumsily. Ivor actually screamed as Thunderhead began to ascend unsteadily, but quickly balanced himself as he remained in the air longer.

Quickly they came to fly beside James and Lukas. And Jesse was awestruck. Lukas' blue eyes reflected the sky as the light seemed to bounce off of him. His hair shone like gold in a sunrise. His laugh was like bells and his smile, god his smile, made Jesse's throat close up. He was stunning. He hadn't seen the boy this delighted in a long time, the thought made him feel worse. _He had to get them home._

"Jesse! Earth to Jesse! Hey!" Jesse quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he faced Petra. Face heating up as she smirked at him, "I think lover boy finally came back to us!" Jesse let out a groan and buried his face into Petra's back, "Did he notice?" Petra looked at Lukas, staring a bit and shook her head, "Nah, don't think so. Now stop being a gay baby and keep your eyes ahead, we're nearing the village."

Ivor looked up from where he had buried his head onto Jesse's back, "We're almost there? We've only been in the air for a few seconds!"

Petra nodded, "Yeah! These birds are either super fast or we were just pretty near!" Jesse looked back and couldn't see the place where they had first entered this world. "No! We weren't near at all, I can't even see the cliff ledge we were on! These birds are just super fast!"

Petra and Ivor looked behind them as well and saw that Jesse was correct, they couldn't even see the cliff, the stone wall behind them fading.

"Hey guys!" Jesse, Petra and Ivor looked to their left to see Lukas waving at them, "James says we're almost at the village! Over there!" The New Order looked to where Lukas was pointing and saw that the village was indeed a few miles away.

In a few seconds, five at least, they descended on the outskirts of the village. Shakily, Jesse and Petra got off their bird and stood wobbly on the ground. Ivor had no such luck. His foot got stuck on one of the loops and he fell forwards, head only a few inches from the ground as his trapped foot held him to the saddle. Thunderhead shook a bit causing Ivor to fall the rest of the way down.

Lukas saw the commotion and hurried off of Lightning too fast, slipping off the saddle. Only to be caught by armored arms as James laughed at the blonde's embarrassed face. He set the smaller boy on the ground and watched him walk over to the Petra and Jesse who were helping up Ivor. James busied himself in getting the packs from Lightning.

Jesse had seen the whole thing and couldn't help the small pang of jealousy as he saw Lukas in James' arms. He ignored the feeling and helped Jesse lift Ivor off the ground.

Lukas smiled as he neared his friends, "Sorry 'bout that Ivor. James says we're here, the village is just right over those hills."

Petra smiled, "Perfect, you think they have cake? I'd die for something sweet right about now."

"Of course we have cake, we aren't monsters!"

James walked up to them, his packs slung over his back. "I am sorry to say this but our traditions requests all new visitors to wait a day before entering the village, a matter of safety and precaution yes? I hope you understand." Jesse shook his head, "No, that's fine. It seems pretty reasonable, just as long as you don't kill us in our sleep or anything." He said in a joking tone. James laughed and put a hand on Jesse's shoulder, "I can assure you that there will be no killing tonight."

Petra smirked and looked around at the woods they had landed in. They stood in a giant meadow next to a cliff, the edges of the forest were lined with weird flowers and shrubs.

"Ah, you've noticed the flowers." Petra almost jumped as James approached her from behind. She just nodded, "These flowers produce smell that keeps the mobs away, other than the occasional zombie or small spider, no mobs have ever gotten past the borders. The shrubs covers a wire that shocks any hostile mobs, cats, dogs, and birds are free to come and go as the wire doesn't affect them."

Ivor stood by listening to every word, "That's fascinating! Was it genetically engineered that way or did you just happen to find these types of flowers. Who created the wires? They had to have been modified to keep away hostile mobs away!"

James stood there, shock on his face before it faded away to amusement, "Woah, you ask a lot of questions! I am afraid I can only answer some. Yes the wire was created by scientists and mechanics trying to keep the mobs away, they came up with a prototype that kept All mobs away at first. But after they found out that wild pigs, sheep, and cows that broke out of their pens they created a new wire to keep hostile mobs away."

James stopped a bit before continuing talking, a bit hesitant this time. "I do not know what beliefs that you three may hold but in our world our gods are very real. Very real indeed. They were the one who gifted us with the flower not to many years ago, I think it was about ten years. I was 21 then and was guarding the gate," He gestured to the hills where Jesse could make out the basic posts of a gate, or the remains of one. "A stranger came through, cloaked in molted greens and browns carrying a bag. We were hesitant to let this stranger in, the darkness was at its height this time and strangers that we welcomed into our humble village turned against us, causing riots and starting fights, so we were wary. But the cloaked figure said that the object in the bag was a gift to help fight off the darkness. We were desperate and so we let the stranger in. One of the guards called for the Leader of our village. Leader Khione. She is married now to second Leader Freya."

James stopped there, admiration and pride shown in his eyes. "Leader Khione hosted a gathering in the square to greet the cloaked figure we had escorted into the village. We had a mighty feast, Leader Khione sat beside the cloaked figure as is our custom, and they talked. At the end of the feast, Leader Khione and the figure stood from their seats and entered the middle of the room." He paused again, taking a second to remember all the details. "And she knelt before the stranger. The people and us guards were stunned. Then the stranger revealed herself, her cloak simply shimmered away, leaving a scent of a baking strawberries and fresh rain in the air. It was a goddess. We knelt before her. She spoke to us." James sighed and smiled, "She said that she had seen our struggles and was here to help us. She gave us these seeds to grow the flowers, keeping away the darkness and the mobs that gave it their all to harm and attack us. That, potions master, is the origin of the flowers."

Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor sat shocked at the story. It seemed like a fairytale, but James said he had been there, that this had happened only ten years ago. Ivor and Petra were a little skeptic, because surely gods and goddesses couldn't exist right?

James smiled tiredly, "It is alright if you do not believe me right now, but the next three days may just change your mind." Jesse perked up at this, "What happens in three days?" James beamed and hit his chest proudly, "The next three days will be a festival! In honor of our gods and goddesses who bestowed upon us gifts and treasures! On the last day three gods will arrive, on of them will be the goddess that gave us the flowers and two others will be her friends in the council. A subject from the village will be chosen by the these three in exchange of the flowers. It is an honor to be chosen by the gods!" James thumped his chest again. Jesse and the others froze at the mention of choosing subjects.

James must have seen their worry and apprehension and was quick to talk, "The chosen must be someone who's been in the village for over a year, so I do not think that any of you will be chosen." The group visibly relaxed at the new information.

Lightning let out a screech, lifting two of his wings, pumping twice before nudging Thunderhead. James just sighed, "It is alright, they are just being called back to the village. I will send them and we will camp here for the night. See, it is almost sunset." He pointed to the edge of the cliff where the suns were indeed setting. A few birds called overhead as James released the Thunderbirds. They watched in awe as they rose from the ground and flew towards the village, disappearing in seconds.

James tossed two packs at Jesse and Ivor and directed them towards the middle of the meadow, "We can set up the tents here, Jesse, Lukas! Can you get some firewood and possibly some meat? There should be some cows or some sheep nearby." They nodded and retrieved their weapons and a basket for the firewood from James.

Together they headed off into the surrounding forest, careful to step over the bushes and flowers lining the edge.

"Can you believe that there are actual gods and goddesses here Jesse? I mean, that seems unreal but counting all the things we've done, I don't think it's far fetched. Jesse? You okay?" Lukas waved his hand in front of Jesse's face when he didn't respond.

Jesse sputtered and swatted Lukas' hand out of his face grinning, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine Lukas. I'm just wondering what James meant when he said 'the darkness' you know? Is it some dark god? Or just a bunch of monsters?" Lukas shrugged and knelt down to grab a stick, "I hope it's just some monsters, if it's a god." He trailed off. Jesse nodded, "Yeah. What do you think happens to the chosen ones of the gods anyways? Are they sacrificed or what? I think they get sacrificed, that's always what happens when gods are involved." Lukas chuckled before stiffening.

Jesse stopped beside him, spotting the same thing he did. A cow and some sheep stood in the clearing in front of them. Slowly, Lukas slid the basket off his shoulders and reached for his bow and arrows. He notched one and aimed it at the cow as Jesse slowly took out his sword. Lukas and Jesse nodded at each other and split up, Jesse in front of where the cow would most likely head, and Lukas behind it.

Lukas pulled the arrow all the way back and let it fly, the only sound it made was a small twing and a whistle as it pierced the air. The cow let out a grunt and panicked, running straight into the tree where Jesse was, sword at the ready.

Jesse and Lukas returned, the cow dragging behind them as they carried it back with the firewood. James let out a long whistle as they came into view, impressed by the catch. "Woah, that's a mighty fine cow you boys got. How many arrows did you waste getting that thing?"

Jesse smirked and stated proudly, "Lukas only had to use one to drive towards me. He shot it from behind which startled the cow, driving him towards me in the trees." James laughed, "I'm very impressed. How long have you four been doing this?" He turned back to Ivor and Petra only to face fallen and drained faces.

"Two hundred and fifty three days, fifty four including today."

James frowned, "You're lost. You've been travelling the Portal Network, looking for home I guess." Jesse nodded grimly, "We've been everywhere, not even close to finding home." Lukas frowned, "We've been through a hundred and sixty seven doors, sixty eight including this one."

James nodded, "I am sorry that this is not the portal that leads you home young ones."

Petra coughed, "Yeah, we're sorry too."

The rest of the night was silent, save for the crackling fire and the opening of fabrics as they went to sleep in their tents.


	3. Chapter 3- Now What?

The next morning was exciting and not at all like the atmosphere from last night. Ivor studied the flowers around the meadow while the others cleaned up camp, complaining that Ivor should be helping as well.

"But I've got old man bones Petra! Or did you forget!" Ivor yelled back. Petra groaned, "I said I was sorry!" Ivor shook his head, "Not good enough!"

Petra kicked a log and considered hitting Ivor to get his stupid brain working again. "Hey Petra," Jesse put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down a bit. "It's fine, we don't even have a lot of stuff to pack, see we're almost done!" Petra looked around and nodded. There was pretty much nothing left to do, but still. "Just, urgh, you know how Ivor is."

Jesse chuckled, yes he does know how Ivor is. Rolling his eyes, Jesse went back to cleaning up the last tent so they could get a move on to The Village.

A few moments later and everyone was packed and ready to go. Ivor was forced into carrying a pack by Petra because surely his old man bones aren't too weak to handle a measly pack. Petra really knew how to play people because as soon as it was so much as hinted that she called Ivor weak, he took the pack and started walking, only realizing his mistake a few feet away but being to stubborn to give it up.

Jesse caught up with James and walked beside him. "So, uh, what's your village like anyways? Is it big?" James laughed, "The village is indeed big, big and beautiful! The streets are lined with glowstone and vibrant posters and banners hang on every edge of every building. Our temples and the gate has glass on the top so when the sun hits it every morning and evening, the village shines." There was so much joy and pride in James' voice that Jesse couldn't help but feel awed at the description. "Your village sounds amazing James." The taller man laughed, moved and overjoyed by Jesse's interest in his town. "Thank you Jesse, I have much pride in my home."

"Hey look! Are those the gates you were talking about James?" Petra walked up to them, pointing at the tops of something in the distance. James perked up, "Yes, you will be able to see clearly the glass, glowstone, and marble once we get nearer."

Lukas whistled, "That's a pretty impressive gate." James nodded proudly. And Indeed it was impressive.

The gate it turns out, was made almost entirely out of marble and netherrack fence posts, with colored glass panes making up a shape right above the gate entrance and Glowstone on the top and lining the ground.

"Dang, and I thought Beacontown had an impressive gate system." Petra said under her breath. Jesse nodded, "Yeah, we'll definitely do something like this when we get home." And for once, the mention of home didn't bring a dead atmosphere, instead it brought rising determination and hope, things they hadn't felt in a long time.

"El! Max! Come open the gates! I have brought the strangers from the portal!" James yelled up at the top.

Two figures appeared, dressed like James. An iron chestplate, leather arm guards, leather fingerless gloves, iron plates on their thighs and legs with a leather piece covering the knee, and finally a dark navy blue cloak around their shoulders. And, just like James, very beautiful.

"James! Good to see you again pal! As soon as we open these gates you better come up here and introduce them to us! Also give Max a hug, he was quiet all morning when you weren't back yet!" El shouted down. James gave a booming laugh and gave a thumbs up at his two friends.

The gates opened with barely a sound as El pulled back a lever behind some glowstone. When the New Order of the Stone stepped inside, they were struck silent.

The village was as beautiful as the residents. The pathways were smoothstone with marble lining the edges as glowstone was buried beneath the marble, giving a soft glow. The shops lined the streets, all marble with high glass windows and colorful banners. The houses were a bit away from what they assumed to be the market, covering outside the shops. Most of them built with wood but no less elegant. As the pathway furthered, it split, circling around a giant oak tree, it's branches stretching high and far, lanterns hung from it's branches. And where there wasn't a building or a pathway, there were trees and flowers everywhere, the perfect mix between builds and nature. It was just simply breathtaking, and as the sun touched the stained glass on the gate, the village seemed to be covered in crystals of every color.

"Woah."

James chuckled behind them and spoke, "I know, it still amazes me everytime I walk back through these gates. Come now, you have to meet my friends!"

The group quickly followed James up the marble steps leading to the top of the gate, which means a lot of stairs.

"James!"

A blur of blue and black was all they could see as James tumbled back, tackled into a hug by his friend Max. James merely laughed, "Max! It is good to see you again old friend! How was yesterday? Quiet or loud." Max smiled, "Quiet as always Jay! I see you brought back the strangers from the portal."

Max turned around and the group almost gasped. Not for the scars that lined his face, but for how Pretty he was. More beautiful than James, the scars doing nothing but enhancing his beauty.

Max had a messy mop of black hair, the soft locks constantly falling into his warm brown eyes. Some of it was kept out of the way with two green and white bobby pins on the side of his head. He had a tan complexion, no doubt spending all his time out in the sun. His teeth were as white James, which means they were brighter than the marble used in the Village. He had two long scars running from his right eyebrow to his jaw and another scar curving from the left of his forehead to his cheekbone, barely missing his eye. He had an earring as well, but this one was a black pearl instead of a crystal. He was lithe and lean, a long distance fighter then, more likely to throw a knife or fire a bow than to use a sword.

Jesse wasn't sure how long he'd been staring until Petra nudged his arm. He quickly came out of his stupor, his face heating up at how long he'd been staring.

James laughed at Jesse's red face, "It is alright, I have been told by some of the previous strangers from how many years ago that everyone in this village has the looks of a god. Do not be ashamed of being caught staring, everyone in this village would most likely take it as a compliment!"

Jesse chuckled, relieved of his embarrassment. Max smiled at everyone, "Hi, I'm Max. Who are you?" Petra smirked before pointing to everyone and introducing them just like how she introduced them to James yesterday. And again like yesterday, Max's eyes lingered on Lukas before moving on.

"Max! I what did I say about running so fast! I'm not a runner like you!"

A female this time ran into the group. And jesus christ was everyone really this attractive? Because if so, Jesse's and Petra's brains were going to short circuit.

El had light brown hair and fair skin. Eyes like rubies shined as she ruffled Max's hair. Freckles adorned her face, making her look younger than she probably is. Her light brown hair was cut short, a pixie cut that looked absolutely amazing. She had her fair share of scars as well, just not as big as Max's. She had a small scar from her cheek to her jawline and a smaller one right at the hairline. She was more buff than Max and Jesse felt like she could lift Axel and throw him a good eight feet. Her plump lips were a natural red, cherry red almost. And instead of an earring like her two friends, she had a silver eyebrow piercing. Around her neck, Jesse spotted a silver chain, probably something she cherished if she didn't mind wearing it on patrols.

"Oh hey! You're the guys who just came from the portal huh? Don't worry about having to introduce yourselves again, I heard it running here." El pointed at Petra, "Petra right?" she nodded. She pointed at himself, "Jesse?" He nodded as well. And she continued to do that until she got all of their names. And again, just like the others, she lingered on Lukas before moving to Ivor.

James clapped his hands together, "Alright! I should probably show you the Village! Max, do you want to come with us? Your shift ended a minute ago I remember." Max smirked, "Of course! El, you good with holding down the fort here? I heard Jace was coming back into work today after you broke his arm during practice."

El groaned, "Come on! You know I did that on accident!" Max laughed and waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah that's what they all say."

Jesse heard Petra laugh before they were being led back down. James and Max led them through the market, pointing things out and the history behind them. Everytime they passed a food stand, Max would get them all apples or some candy when James wasn't looking.

Lukas and Petra laughed as Max was finally caught smuggling them some candy after the fifth food stand. All too soon it was lunch and they settled down by some tables near the center tree.

Ivor looked at the branches and asked, "Why do you hang lanterns from the branches? Are you ever worried you might run out of space?"

Max laughed and answered before James could, "The tree has been enchanted by the same Goddess who gave us the flowers," he pointed to the small batch of flowers growing beneath the tree. "The tree will never be crowded as long as one person has hope. Those candles you see, they represent every person who's given up hope. The ones whose candles are lit have regained their hope and their lantern will be taken down in three days." Ivor nodded, "And the unlit candles?" Max smiled lightly although there was a tightness in his gaze as he looked at the tree again, "They represent those who have no hope, who haven't gotten theirs back."

Ivor nodded, processing the new information. Petra shrugged and continued eating her hamburger. It's been way too long since she's had any real unhealthy food. As she ate, she began to notice the different people walking by. Almost all of them were dressed in robes or something fancy, like they were all going to something important.

"Oh, that's right! The festival will be starting in a few minutes!" Max seemed to have read her mind as he jumped up, almost knocking his chair over.

James laughed, "Calm down Max, ask them first if they'd like to participate." Max looked expectantly at them, and it was hard to say no. "Alright, so when does this festival start anyways?"

The grin that spread across Max's face was almost worth the pain that they were going to feel in their feet that night.

 **Thanks for reading! If you didn't check out this fic from my tumblr then you probably don't know what the Thunderbird looks like. I drew a rough sketch of it to give you guys some idea of what it might look like! Check it out!**


	4. Chapter 4- Getting Ready

**H e y just realized that the link doesn't work so sorry about that! My tumblr is starringbaguette and you can find headcanons and art/doodles under the mcsm tag! Sorry again!**

Max had excitedly lead them through the crowd and into a clothes shop. It was big, two stories at least with a staircase leading to the second floor where the dressing rooms were. When questioned he just looked at them weirdly and replied, "Well, you're not going to the festival dressed in your armor are you? Even us guards get the three days off to celebrate!" Soon James and Max had pushed them through some dressing rooms, mountains of clothes stuffed in their arms as the curtain closed behind them.

Ivor growled and sifted through the clothes picking out which ones he decided would suit him. In the end he chose a dark green tunic with golden designs etched into the sleeves and neckline, gold belt, black dress pants, and black formal shoes. He combed through his hair and put it up in a bun, he may not care for social events but that didn't mean he didn't want to look like a caveman. He looked into the mirror and was satisfied with his outfit, simple but nice.

Petra wasn't any better than Ivor. As soon as she was pushed through the curtains, clothes were thrown at her. She sighed and picked through them, panicking slightly as she saw all the fancy clothes. What type of festival was this? Finally, she pulled on a black tank top, a dark blue blouse with small silver etchings on the sleeves, black leggings and leather boots. She took off her bandana and tried to tame the red locks. Giving up after she came across a rather large knot and exited the changing room.

Jesse was having a blast. He couldn't remember when he last switched out of armor and into actual clothes. He felt kind of vulnerable without the protection but he bore through it and pieced together an outfit. He put on a dark green tunic with silver designs on the hem, a brown belt, black dress pants, and dress shoes. When he faced the mirror he couldn't help but smile, he looked normal, like a person and not a soldier. He exited the dressing room, a huge smile on his face as he waited downstairs.

Lukas was beaming when he took the clothes into the dressing room. God, he remembered loving dressing up when he was visiting the orphanage and the little kids would stuff piles of costumes into his arms, begging him to try them. Sifting through the clothes he found some that caught his eye. He put them on and exited the room.

"Woah. You look amazing!" Max squealed from the bottom of the stairs. James chuckled beside him. The two guards were dressed up as well, looking like something straight from a dream.

Max had on a sea green tunic that faded into white with small silver designs on the sleeves and neckline, silver pants and black dress shoes. His face was painted as well, green and dark blue swirls decorated his skin and curved around his eyes, making them stand out more. His hair seemed to be tamed and no longer fell in front of his eyes, but embedded in the soft locks were small pearls. Jesse flushed and ducked his head, avoiding eye contact. He looked to James and internally groaned because he looked just as handsome.

James had a navy blue tunic that had small white swirls on the hem and neckline, a black belt, white pants, and black leather boots. His face was painted as well, but with white and silver that curled and bloomed into flowers. By god were they pretty. His hair that used to be tied in a ponytail now cascaded down his shoulders, blue and white ribbons were threaded through his dreadlocks instead of the blue and purple ones from earlier.

Jesse's face turned a darker red as he tugged on his sleeves, self conscious about his appearance. He trudged down the stairs and sat on a sofa next to the duo, waiting for Petra, Ivor, and Lukas.

Ivor appeared first, dressed in a dark green tunic, black dress pants and formal shoes. With his hair tied up in a bun he looked pleasant. Jesse was surprised and gawked as Ivor walked down the stairs with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Oh shut it." He glared at him before sitting besides Jesse who stifled a laugh as a strand of hair fell into his face.

Next to appear was Petra. Jesse blushed as she entered the room. Her red hair was free from her bandana and fell in large knots which he could tell she tried to tame. She had a blue blouse with black pants and heeled leather boots. The glare she gave him sent him looking away when she realized he'd been staring, "Not another word." Ivor and Jesse made room as she sat between them. The only one left was Lukas.

"Holy shit-"

Petra's statement caught Jesse's attention and he looked up. And holy shit indeed. Instead of a tunic like the rest of the boys, Lukas wore something that looked like a mix between Petra's blouse and Max's tunic. It was a pastel purple that faded into white at the sleeves and bottom of the shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were slightly transparent with some silver designs rising from the ends where it cuffed. He had white dress pants and black formal shoes, and even though the outfit was simplistic, it looked amazing.

The blond waved to the others as he pretty much floated down the stairs. Max and James seemed to be awestruck as well as Lukas greeted his friends.

"Wo-wow, you look really good." Jesse was as red as a tomato as he stumbled over his words. Lukas just smiled brightly, "Thanks Jess. We should probably change out of these clothes now so we can buy them." Max nodded and wrapped an arm around James. "That's right, now go change back and we'll buy these for you since we doubt you guys have our currency."

They agreed and went back to go change. They returned later and sat back down on the couch. Petra was last to come down with Lukas.

Ivor scoffed and stood up from the couch, taking the archer's arm, "Come on pretty boy, it's time to go." Petra smirked and grabbed his other arm, "Yeah pretty boy let's go. Besides, I think we really need to do something about my hair." Lukas flushed and reluctantly followed the older man and redhead outside and away from the three gazes that followed after them.

Jesse let his head fall back onto the plush cushions of the sofa and groaned into the pillows. All that was running through his head was how Lukas looked and how goddamn pretty he was. He didn't even know he was pretty too, which was totally unfair.

"Wow, you are hopeless."

Jesse moaned and buried his head further into the pillow, "Shut up Max." The guard laughed and sat by Jesse, "Oh please, I see the way you look at him. I have to admit, he is very pretty. He'll probably be sought after during the festival." Jesse shot up to stare at the taller, and better looking, male. "Wait what? What do you mean 'sought after?'"

Max chuckled at the panic on the shorter's face, "Calm down Jesse, it's natural and it's not like you two are dating, right?" Jesse shook his head.

James smiled, "Well, you do like him, that much is clear." Max laughed, "It's clear even to a blind man!"

Jesse let a small smile slip as he stared at the two. Max stood up and helped up Jesse as well, "I hope those three haven't wandered far, we still need to get your faces painted and hair done. Also earrings, everyone needs to have earring."

"Everyone?"

James laughed, "No not everyone if you don't want to. It's just a Max thing, he got El and I to get get piercings."

Jesse nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like that, to get piercings or whatever."

Max practically squealed, "Perfect! It's settled then! First we need to get your piercings done, then hair, and finally face paint! Come on, come one we gotta get going! You should also get a bath."

Max burst outside and relayed the plan to everyone else once he'd caught up to them outside of a food cart.

Jesse walked over to Petra. "Hey Jesse, so what did Max and James talk to you about? Love advice I assume."

He blushed and smacked her arm, "Petra!"

She only laughed as they started walking with the group to wherever Max and James were taking them. "Seriously though Jesse, was it good advice?" Jesse glared at the redhead, "It wasn't advice, more like relentless teasing. You think we're ever going to get a chance of dating someone here?" Petra sighed wistfully, "The only date I want to get, is with another hamburger stand. It's been so long!"

He laughed at his friend's statement. The only thing Petra had been most excited about since coming here were the foods. Actual junk foods, chips, fires, milkshakes. God, it's been so long since they've had a milkshake. They really need to get home.

"Here we are!" Max stopped them in front of another shop, thing. This one a bit smaller than the last, but still with two stories. He wondered if all the shops were styled like this.

They entered inside and were blown away by the smells. It wasn't bad, just something they hadn't experienced in a long time. Perfume, paints, fruit, soaps, and some smoke.

Max gestured towards a door beyond the desk, "That's where the baths are, so you guys go on ahead and I'll talk to the staff! Hurry and go! You guys smell!" James shook his head and playfully hit Max, "He's kidding, you guys don't smell. Except maybe for Ivor."

"Hey!"

Petra laughed and patted Ivor on the back, "C'mon ya old stinker, let's go wash that grease out of your hair."

Jesse walked in and was separated from the others by the staff who forced him into a giant bathroom. And by giant, he meant giant. The bath didn't even look like a bath, more like a pool. And the shampoos and conditioners! There were at least fifty! Don't even get him started on the soaps.

"At least you didn't get the old man, I feel so bad for Viola." Jesse laughed at the woman. There were two women and one man, all of them beautiful.

The one who had just spoken looked thirty at least. Pale skin and midnight black hair with the ends dyed a dark blue that faded into a lighter shade. Her eyes were as dark as coal and her eyeliner so sharp Jesse was sure it could kill a zombie.

The other woman she had talked to was a bit younger, late twenties at least. Light brown hair, amber eyes and dark skin, like she had been in the sun the majority of her life. She didn't have on makeup but her nails were a light pink. Jesse liked the color pink.

The only male of the group seemed to be in his twenties as well. He had pale freckled skin, light blue eyes, and long black hair. He had simple chain necklace with his hair tied into a ponytail with a silver ribbon.

As Jesse sank into the tub, the stress seemed to leave him as they scrubbed away the grime and dirt from yesterday. As they lathered his hair, despite his many protests that he could do it himself, he couldn't help but wonder of the others were having a good time as well.

Petra was having a pretty good time. The three girls were nice and weren't very preppy, which she greatly disliked. She sank into the tub, more like pool, and let her tense muscles relax. The shampoo smelled really good and their hands were soft when they rubbed it into her tangled hair.

"Sweetie, we're going to end up wasting two bottles of conditioner on your hair, and I don't know whether it's pathetic or relieving that this hasn't been the worst case scenario of tangled hair we've seen."

Petra laughed as the women lathered her hair. Yeah, this was nice.

Ivor wasn't having a such a good time. Sure the staff were nice and their hands were soft but when they told him to relax and let them shampoo his hair, that's where he put his foot down.

"I can do that myself!" Ivor snapped as he retreated to the middle of the pool, the bubbles nearly getting in his mouth.

The man sighed and put back down the shampoo, "Sir, please just let us do our job. We know which shampoo is best suited to deal with your hair."

Ivor bristled, "Did you just insult me!"

The staff groaned, looks like this will take longer than usual. Viola watched from the side, hands stifling their laughter as they let the scene unfold.

Lukas was having the time of his life. The three girls were really nice and pretty, soft gentle hands leading him to the room. By god the bathroom was big. If he had to spend another day without a bath, he was going to scream, he told the woman as such.

As he settled himself into the warm water, he could hear a loud splash and a startled scream from the left of him. Immediately the occupants of the room stilled as they waited further sounds from the bath from the other room.

Lukas sighed, "That's not where they took Ivor was it?"

"The man with the greasy hair?" Lukas nodded.

The woman laughed, "Oh, that's why Daniel screamed. He's not the very best at dealing with people. Poor Viola, they have to deal with him and your friend then."

Lukas laughed, "Yeah."

Silence followed, only the small splashes and angry yelling from the other room filling it. Yeah, Lukas was having the time of his life.

Jesse finally exited the baths, a towel wrapped around his shoulders and a shirt and shorts on as the three people guided him up a set of stairs. He felt so clean and his hair was so soft that he couldn't help but fluff it every few minutes. The women laughing as he reach up again to run his fingers through it.

"Here we go, some other people will be here to do your hair. Max also told us you wanted piercings right?" Jesse nodded as the male explained everything, "Perfect! After your hair, they'll take you to get your ears pierced and you can choose your earrings, we have all types."

He must have seen the worry on Jesse's face because he chuckled, "Don't worry about the prices, Max and James would only be paying half the price for the treatment for you and your friends seeing as you're Strangers, people from a different world. Don't worry, now go through the doors and they'll be waiting on the other side."

The male left as Jesse walked through the door. As soon as we walked through, he was swarmed by three other people as they rushed him into a chair.

They talked animatedly as they trimmed his hair. Snipping away at his bangs that hung low over his eyes and cutting the longer hair that brushed his neck.

As soon as they were done cutting his hair, they went straight into styling it.

"Wait give me that brush."

"Should we gel his hair? Would you like us to gel your hair?"

Jesse nodded. Too overwhelmed to use his words. They swiveled the chair away from the mirror and got to work

"Nice choice, we just got to tame your curls sweetheart."

"Here's the curler!"

"We need that comb, I need the comb hurry pass it over!"

"Here's the gel!"

Jesse felt a wet substance rest against his scalp as they gelled some of his hair back and positioned it just so. When they were done they turned the chair back to face the mirror.

"Woah, you look great honey!"

Jesse blushed but took the time to take in his appearance. And damn, he did look good. Some of the hair above his ear was gelled back while the rest of his hair looked wet and tame, not at all like a mess of curls and fluff like it usually did when he dried it.

"Wow, t-thanks. I love it."

They beamed at him, "We know you do love, it's written all over your face! Now hurry up, they need to fit you into your clothes and your piercings-"

"Don't forget makeup!"

The girl interrupted, "Yes, yes, I was just going to say that. Anyways, hurry up! Shoo!"

Jesse laughed as he walked out of the room, still a little dizzy and overwhelmed from the hair experience.

Again he was snatched away to be put in his clothes they bought from the shop a few minutes ago? It might have been hours actually. He didn't know, time was always weird when in shops.

He was out of the dressing room quickly too. He'd been worried about getting the gel everywhere and messing up his hair, but the assistants told him not to worry about it and that the gel would stay like this until he washed it, which he was grateful for. Now he didn't have to worry about getting his hair messed up.

"You're Jesse right? Good, follow me and we can get your ears pierced and do your makeup and face paint!"

Jesse let the girl sit him down on a white swivel chair and took out some tools. "Alright, now this might hurt a bit but it'll be over soon."

Jesse smiled, "Thanks, I think I can handle it tho- SWEET MOTHER OF NOTCH!"

The girl laughed, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Jesse groaned and felt tears begin to form. "Oh come on, I can get hit with an arrow and not cry but when my ears get pierced? Guess that pain tolerance I've been building up doesn't exist anymore."

She laughed as she directed him to sit in front of some drawers. She pulled them all out and Jesse was amazed by the loads of earrings that were kept in there.

"Woah, that's a lot." Jesse breathed, "Yeah, now go ahead and choose. Whatever you'd like, it's on Max anyways."

Jesse ended up picking emerald earrings embedded in a silver outline. They looked pretty good, and they went with his clothes.

"Good choice, now you can go get your face paint and makeup done!"

Jesse chuckled and got up from his seat, throwing a thanks to the girl before exiting the small room.

"Jesse! Perfect, you're the second one out! Petra's waiting downstairs and I think Lukas will be coming up next! Sit, sit, we have lots of work to do, you looks amazing by the way." Max hurriedly pushed Jesse in front of a mirror where a man stood nearby, a fond smile on his face.

He looked like he was in his late thirties, and looked wise beyond his years. Coal black eyes set into a freckled brown face and a slight stubble like James. He has longish hair tied back in a small ponytail with a red ribbon. He looked pretty nice, and handsome just as every other person in this damn world.

The man peered at Jesse, seeming to take him in. "Hmm, brown skin, brown curly hair, dark brown chocolate eyes. Yes, this will be done nicely."

Jesse looked at him confusedly, "Uh, what?"

Max chuckled and clapped him on the back, "Don't worry, that's just Jeremy's way of saying that you'll look even better than you did when you walked in."

Jeremy nodded and went back to choosing some paints from his many drawers. He managed to see some dark green and silver being taken out before Jeremy told him to close his eyes.

Jeremy smiled as the wet brush tickled his face, felt it as it went over his eyes and cheek, spreading almost to the corner of his mouth and around his eyebrows. It felt good.

He stayed that way for an hour or so, moving or tiling his head as Jeremy told him to.

"Alright, I think that does it. You can open your eyes now kid."

Jeremy leaned back and opened his eyes to face the mirror.

"Woah, that's amazing."

Dark green, silver, and white decorated his face in a mass of swirls, dots, and other complicated designs. It was entrancing and mesmerising to look at.

Max whistled, "Damn kid, at this point Lukas and Petra may not be the only ones being appreciated tonight. You guys will look amazing! Thanks Jeremy, c'mon Jesse we gotta go!"

"Woah, Petra!"

Jesse raced down the stairs and hugged his redheaded friend. She looked much better now that she didn't have dirt on her face and leaves in her hair.

Her slightly curled hair was brushed with a small braid pulling back looser strands of her fiery red locks. She had on her clothes from before with a few golden bracelets. She didn't get any piercings like him though, but she did get her face painted blue, white, and gold. She was beautiful.

"Woah, Jesse! You look amazing." Petra laughed.

"Not as good as you! I mean wow, your hair's brushed and everything!"

Petra slapped his arm lightly, "Oh shut up. Nice earring by the way, was that you I heard scream 'Holy Mother of Notch?'"

He blushed and looked down. "You heard me from down here?"

Petra shook her head, "Nah, was just about to head down the stairs when I heard it." She laughed, "Oh man did you sound like a girl."

"Shut up Petra." He shoved her slightly and moved to sit on a couch, "Do you know when the others will be out?"

Petra shook her head, "Nah, James went to go do something and Max is upstairs helping around or whatever."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, I hope they come down soon. Did you hear all that yelling and ruckus Ivor was causing in his bathroom?"

Petra laughed, "Oh god, that might've been the funniest thing I've heard all day!" She shook her head and continued to chuckle quietly, "Oh man, best thing all day."

"Yeah, he was pretty loud. I heard him all the way from my part of the hall!"

Jesse and Petra turned around, "Lukas! Hey, come on dow-"

Jesse and Petra were stunned. If Lukas was good looking before, then damn he was a deity now.

He was cleaner, his smooth skin glowing softly under the lights and blue, purple, and white paint decorating his face in small swirls. He looked amazing.

"Ha, hey guys! Woah, you two look amazing!"

Jesse violently tried to fight down the blush he could feel rising up to his face, "Uh, tha-" he cleared his throat, "thanks Lukas."

Petra nodded, "Yeah thanks, whatever, but look at you! Damn, I'm gonna have to fight off those people with a stick!"

Lukas laughed and rubbed his neck, "Thanks Petra. How about you? You going to get a date or are you just going to makeout with another hamburger?"

"Oh shut up!" She shoved him, causing him to laugh. "Also, what's with this tangly earring thing? You planning on getting caught in something?"

Lukas shook his and swatted Petra's hand that kept touching the earring, "Oh knock it off Petra. Max chose it for me, I think he's choosing Ivor's or something-

"DEAR MOTHER HEROBRINE- WHY DID THAT HURT SO MUCH !"

 **Hey guys! Sorry for uploading so late! But if you check out my tumblr (Starringbaguette) and look under either the 'mcsm' or 'my art' tag there'll be some doodles for you! Thanks again for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5- Festival

Once they had finally gotten Ivor to calm down after he had his ears pierced, they joined Max and James outside.

Jesse couldn't stop staring at Lukas once they had joined them. He just looked so damn pretty that it hurt him. Petra jabbed her elbow into his ribs which forced him to let out a wheeze of pain, "What was that for?"

"I think he's starting to notice your excessive staring," she pointed at Lukas, "I'm also starting to think he's catching on to your little crush on him."

He flushed a bright red and quickly looked away, "Shit. But just look at him Petra!" He hissed out, "He's just so pretty and nice and oh man he doesn't even know it, which just makes him more attractive."

She threw back her head and laughed, "Well, you can tell him yourself how pretty he is, he's walking over right now."

"What!"

"Hey Jesse. Petra. Whatcha guys talking about over here?"

Jesse froze and turned to look at his stupid sunshine-y friend, "Uh, yeah-yeah we're doing good here. How's uh, how's Ivor?" Lukas waved his hand in Ivor's general direction, "He's being Ivor I guess. Won't stop whining about his ears though."

Petra snickered under breath, "Yeah, classic Ivor. Anyways I'm gonna go talk to Max and James more about this festival thing. Catch ya gay-uh-guys, later." Petra waved goodbye and walked away, leaving a nervous wreck of a mess with Lukas.

Jesse tugged on his sleeve, a habit he'd started to form after he found he couldn't run his hand through his hair anymore.

"So, how've you been doi-"

"YOU LOOK NICE!"

Lukas blinked in surprise at being cut off abruptly by Jesse's flustered outburst.

Meanwhile, the brunette was rethinking over his life and all his past decisions. _God what the hell was I thinking. I can't just go around shouting stuff like that. Oh god what does Lukas think now, he must be completely weirded out, oh god._

"Uh- thanks Jesse. You look nice too!"

 _Of course Lukas doesn't even think twice about it. Jesus, if he weren't a fighter he'd be the biggest, and only, pacifist I'd know._

Jesse watched as Lukas merged off to drag Ivor back to the group after he'd wandered off somewhere.

"Wow, like that wasn't a total disaster."

"Ugh, I know. What was I shouted, 'you look nice!' in his face! Petra, and there doesn't even bat an eye."

Petra chuckled and glanced quickly at him, "Yeah, doesn't seem to notice these things a lot." She waited a beat before talking again, "You think I should tell him 'bout your little crush on him."

Jesse choked on his spit and started hacking out his lungs. "What! No! No, you cannot do that!"

"Ah- come on Jesse, it'll spare both of you the pining! Also your face is almost as red as my hair, and that's saying something."

He flapped his hands and hit Petra's shoulder, "Oh my god shut up."

This only caused her to laugh, somehow mockingly and sympathetically, which Jesse was sure only Petra could do.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Hey, you should ask him to dance at some point. These types of events usually have some dances right, so you should ask."

He shook his head frantically, "No-no! That's a horrible idea-I'd mess up asking or trip or something bad might happen! Nope, not gonna risk it." He walked faster, hoping to rid himself of Petra's supportive, but altogether unhelpful, attitude.

Petra quickly caught up to him, with her long damn legs, and threw her arm around his shoulder. "Ah, come on Jesse you don't need to be like that. Fine, fine you don't need to ask him, but you might regret it later."

He frowned, "Maybe, okay, only maybe. But, I can't really dance."

She smiled down at him, "Oh come on it'll be fine! Now when does this thing star-"

"Oh man it's starting! Hurry or you'll miss some of the best stuff!" Max dragged Jesse and Petra into the crowd, leaving James and Lukas to deal with Ivor.

The square was huge and covered, wall to wall, with lights and floating lanterns. The very flowers and fruits that hang from the trees seemed to glow, actually they were glowing.

The people were, of course what did they expect, beautiful and other worldly. Jesse thought he saw someone that looked like Olivia, but he knew she wasn't there. Olivia would love this, Axel too if there were more explosions.

"Wow." Jesse stared in awe at the place, full of life and music and food!

"I see your 'wow', and raise you a woah!" Lukas chuckled as he stepped up to Jesse. The lights flickered in his blue eyes and Jesse held his breath, feeling as if he were drowning in them.

"Yeah, it's pretty great. I wish Axel and Olivia were here to see it though."

Jesse frowned, he really wished that they could all enjoy it together.

"Hey, come on! When we get back to them we can visit this place again and show them how amazing it is! Right?" Lukas clapped a hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting Jesse as he relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, we can bring them back here when we get out."

"Perfect!" He was practically beaming with joy as he stood next to him. Stealing his nerves, Jesse turned to face Lukas.

"Hey Lukas."

"Yeah Jesse."

He put out his hand for Lukas to take. "Would you like to da-"

"Sorry-Jesse!" Ivor was shoved into Jesse, sending him crashing into Lukas. "And Lukas too! Perfect, come look over here! It's the goddess that Max and James were talking about."

"Uh, Jesse?"

Jesse looked down and felt his face heat up. He was laying on top of Lukas, their faces only a few inches apart. His face grew even more heated when he realised that nothing was stopping him from kissing Lukas right this instant.

"Jesse?"

Oh shit. "Sorry! Sorry, oh man." Jesse rambled as he struggled to get off him. His face still a bright, tomato red as he turned to face him.

"Ah, no problem Jesse, it's fine. Come on, lets see what Ivor was in such a hurry to tell us."

They finally found Ivor in front of a statue. "This, this is the mighty goddess that everyone worships." He gestured to the glimmering, painted stone before them.

"Woah. You sure this is her Ivor?"

"Yes," He states, "I'm positive."

"And how can you be so sure." Jesse asks.

"There's literally a plaque right there, with 'The Goddess' on it." He pointed towards the, frankly obvious, plaque in front of the statue. And what a statue it was.

Her skin as dark as the earth she thrives on. Her eyes like twin volcanoes ready to erupt at any given moment. Hair like the finest wheat, growing in the fields of a setting sun. On the top of her head was a crown of daffodils, gardenias, and sunflowers. What sat in her strong hands was a bouquet filled with bachelor's buttons, hyssops, iris, and rue flowers. And her dress as green and perfect as the flourishing trees and valleys of this world. The very stone her figure was carved in seemed to breathe, her every feature brought to life.

"Damn, that's a pretty impressive carving. So much detail." Lukas murmured under his breath.

Jesse nodded, still in awe of the Goddess' figure before him. But something was off, why did he know all the names of those flowers? Just earlier, he couldn't tell the difference between a Primrose flower and a Katniss.

"Hey Ivor."

"Hmm?"

"How come I know the name of every single one of those flowers?" He asked, pointing to the statue.

Ivor brought up a hand to his beard as he spoke, "I actually asked Max and James that question earlier. James said the Goddess blessed it so that anyone who saw it would know the name of those flowers. I've asked around as well, and everyone's given that exact answer."

Jesse nodded, "Thanks man. I'm gonna go find Petra, you seen her anywhere?"

"Hmm, sorry I haven't. You could ask Lukas, although I doubt he'd know, he's been hanging out with you all night." Ivor pointed to him.

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Yeah, thanks Ivor."

"Anytime Jess!"

Jesse tapped Lukas on the shoulder, "Hey, have you seen Petra anywhere around here?"

He laughed, "I don't think so, I've been hanging with you all night!"

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Right."

An awkward silence was left to fill the space where their conversation feel short. Suddenly Lukas spoke hesitantly, "Hey,uh, before Ivor crashed into us. What were you going to ask me?"

Jesse froze, "Uhhhh. Well." He hesitated. _Come on Jesse, this is your chance to finally ask him._

"Hm, Lukas. Would, you." He cleared his throat, "Would you like to d-"

"Jesse! There you are. Hey Lukas, what's up."

"Petra hey!"

Jesse glared momentarily at his redheaded friend. "Yeah, hey Petra."

"Ivor bumped into me earlier and said you wanted to talk. So what's up?" She said.

"Could you excuse us for a bit Lukas? We need to talk."

Lukas looked between the two of them quizzically before he nodded, "Sure. I'll meet up with you guys later!"

Petra turned around to meet him face to face once they were far enough away from everyone.

"So? Did you ask him to dance yet?" Petra asked. He glared at her. "Actually," he stated, "I was just going to ask him before you bumped in."

Petra's eyes widened comically, "Oh. Oh! Really! Damn it! Fine, let's go back and you can ask out your man!"

As soon as she said that, Lukas swept past them, pulled away into a dance by someone else.

Jesse deflated, "Ah man, sorry about that Jess." Petra looked down at the shorter male. "Nah, it's fine. I'm just gonna go see if they have any milkshakes."

He trudged away to the food stands, intent on drowning his sorrows in fast foods and unhealthy amounts of sugar.

He had just settled at a table when he heard the chair next to him being pulled out and creak as someone sat beside him. "Sorry about that, I saw the whole thing. You're in love with the blonde dude correct? Can't really blame you, he's really good looking."

Jesse looked up, not recognizing the voice as Max, James, or any of his friends. "Who are you?"

"Oh, right I haven't introduced myself," the stranger gave a smile showing off his strangely sharp teeth. "My name is Diabolus. Call me Dia for short." He outstretched his hand for Jesse to shake.

Hesitantly he placed his hand in Dia's and shook, "Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Jesse."

Dia nodded sagely, "Hmm, you remind me of my sister. She was like you back then, infatuated with someone dear to her."

Jesse snorted before looking down at the table, "Yeah. She ever get the guy?"

Dia laughed, "Whoever said it was a guy? No, her love was directed to one of her closest friends. They eventually fell in love, but their love took her away from me, can't say I blame her though. I wasn't the best brother to her." He grew sad and Jesse couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "It's alright though, maybe I'll visit her someday."

Jesse nodded, "I hope she'll be happy when she sees you again."

Dia smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, "Thank you for this talk."He stood to leave but suddenly grew deadly serious. "Oh, and before I forget," he leaned in closer to Jesse, "Not everyone here is as they seem, so do well to remember that."

Jesse looked down at the table, confusion and doubt running through his mind. "Wait, what do you mean?" He looked up to find Dia no longer there, seeming to have just vanished in the crowd.

"Jesse! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Lukas stopped in front of the table, "Hey, are you okay? You're all sweaty and pale."

Jesse shook his head, "No, I'm-I'm fine. Just had too many chili dogs."

"Yeah, we all know how that feels. Hey, do you want to dance with me? It's the last few songs and," he paused to smile at him, "I wanted to hang out with you! You know, without all the running away from mobs and other things that want to kill us."

"You don't have to of course, just thought it'd be nice." Lukas finished hesitantly.

Jesse was speechless. It only took him a moment for his brain to process what Lukas said before he was grinning madly, "Yeah-yes of course I'll dance. But," he shifted in his seat, "I can't really dance well. Actually, let's just say I can't dance in general."

Lukas shook his head and grabbed his hand, "So what? We're here to have a good time right now!So just let loose and dance!"

"Wait-what, Lukas!"

He laughed as he was pulled along into the courtyard and a faster paced music picked up as he stumbled along.

They danced under the fairy lights illuminating the place as others laughed, danced, and even sang to the music. And although it was like a dream come true, Jesse couldn't help but feel doubt, that something would go horribly wrong.

But then Lukas was smiling and suddenly everything was light and he was laughing as he was spun around and around, only tripping a few times during their eccentric jig.

Jesse laughed, joy filling his chest and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. His heart beat against his ribs, his lungs ached and his feet hurt. And it felt amazing. The lights seemed to dance among the crowd of people, and the music was fast paced. Others bumped and joined in small dance groups, hooking their arms around each other and doing small little dances of their own in their circle.

Eventually, Lukas and Jesse joined a dance circle full of other joyful characters. The girl next to him couldn't dance but by god did she try to match the beat. And when she fell, she'd pick herself up again and laugh, and then she'd continue her wild dancing.

At one point they were all doing an eccentric form of the 'can can'. Their legs kicked in and out of their circle, which eventually grew until everyone in the courtyard was there.

They untangled their arms from one another as a familiar tune filled the air. They clapped and stomped to the beat, still spinning around joyously in their circle. Jesse smiled as the lights flickered and flowed brightly against the brightening sky.

The first few rays of sunlight skirted across the sky and the mountain pass, illuminating the tops of the trees and eventually struck against the stained colored glass atop the walls.

The air seemed to be filled with crystals, and the people bathed in the light and color. The broken fractals covering them and the cobblestone.

And when the music finally stopped, the people clapped and shouted, cheering and smiling when the performers bowed and waved towards the crowd.

Jesse and Lukas clapped and cheered as well. Their feet ached, and their faces hurt, and their lungs burned, but they were smiling the entire way back to the others at the edge of the clearing.

Petra's frame shook with laughter as she hooked an arm around his shoulder.

"Looks like you guys had an amazing time over there."

He laughed and jabbed her with his elbow, "You have no idea!" And it was true. Jesse didn't think anyone could ever have any idea how happy Jesse was right at this moment.

James laughed and pulled Max and El into a hug, nearly lifting the smaller two off the ground. They painstakingly reminded Jesse of Axel's group hugs, tight and breathless but altogether amazing and warm. Jesse could tell Petra was thinking it too.

"El! I didn't notice you there! How was your night?"

She smiled brightly, "It was amazing, I managed to get James participate in one of the karaoke booths! His voice is like an angel's."

Petra beamed at her, "Really? That sounds cool, you should totally sing for us sometime James!"

The warrior blushed, "I-uh-I don't know," El and Max nodded and cheered encouragingly, "Ugh, maybe then okay. Only maybe." He finished with a chuckle.

Ivor nodded, "Yes, I would like to hear an actual performance, the only one capable of singing in the Old Order was Soren. Gabriel like to sing as well, but that didn't mean he sounded good." He shuddered, "At the best if times he'd sound like a dying cat."

They all winced, "Yikes, that must not have been good to hear."

Ivor threw up his arms and exclaimed, "I know! It was horrible, at least with this group Lukas can sing, quite remarkably actually."

Petra whipped her head so fast towards him that her hair slapped her in the face. "You can sing?!"

Lukas replied, "Uh, yeah sure I can sing? Probably not as well as James, I don't practice a lot."

Ivor snorted, "You sound spectacular!"

"That's because your hearing is impaired by Gabriel's wailing!"He said back.

Petra laughed, "Oh wow, now you're totally gonna have to sing for us Lukas. Oh! You and James can do a duet together, that would sound amazing!"

El nudged him in the ribs, "Won't you do it James, it would be a great disappointment if you couldn't."

He grunted at El's shockingly sharp elbows, "Hmm, yeah I suppose we could do that. We can all go back to my place for this!"

Max cheered, "Yes! Let's go then, they still need to set up for tonight anyways so we have the entire day to ourselves!"

Lukas and James both groaned as the others laughed around them. Jesse smiled and followed the others as James led them to his house on the other side of their Village.

As Jesse walked, he spotted Dia out of the corner of his eye waving in an urgent manner. When he glanced back towards the group and back towards the place where he had seen him, Dia was gone. Dia's words echoed in the back of Jesse's mind like a parasite to its host.

 _Not everyone here is as they seem, so do well to remember that._

"Hey Jesse! You coming or what slowpoke!"

Jesse was shocked to find himself so far behind the group and hurried to catch up. "Sorry, sorry, I thought I saw someone back there."

"It's fine, just be sure to stick close, James' place is pretty far and we don't want you getting lost." El smiled back at him.

Petra slowed down to walk beside him and whispered, "Who did you see anyways?"

Jesse looked back and no one. "No one, it's fine I just thought." He hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the truth to Petra.

"You just thought?" Petra questioned, hoping to get something out of him.

He shook his head, deciding that he couldn't reveal the truth just yet, besides what if Diabolus was wrong? "No one. I just thought I saw Olivia and Axel, I miss them."

Petra grew somber and stared ahead with longing eyes, "Yeah I miss them too. I just hope that this leader of the Village can help us."

 _. . .Not as they seem. . . remember that._

"Jesse, you okay?" Petra asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I'm fine," He snapped, "Sorry, let's just keep going." He walked faster, urging her to follow.

"It's fine, come on."

 _ **Not As They Seem**_


	6. Chapter 6- Im Out of Chapter title ideas

As it turned out, James' house was huge. As in, huge enough to have ten or so people sleep over with extra room to spare. And when James said that they could sleep at his place for the duration of their stay, they didn't refuse.

"Wow James, your house is nice! How much do you guys even get paid?" Petra spoke glancing around at the grand furnishings.

James smiled back at her from the doorway, "Us guards get a fairly good amount of payment for our time at the wall. The soldiers actually get paid a bit more."

Ivor looked fascinated, "How does your currency system work? I'm interested as to know what you spend and earn here."

Max reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a few coins. "See these smaller coins," he lifted held up a few so they could see them, "these we call doubles. Not very creative I know, but these cost, well I don't know how to translate it. What's your currency made out of?"

Petra shrugged, "In our world, we usually just trade for things. But we usually use iron or emeralds to buy things. We could trade a cow for a pig and a pig for a chicken and all that too."

Max nodded and went over the information, "How much does an apple cost? How much iron would you spend?"

"Uh, two iron. In emeralds it's only one." Jesse responded.

"Alright, iron. Okay I got it, 'doubles' are three iron then. Or one emerald and one iron. Now these," He reached back into his pocket, "These are called shards." He held up the diamond looking pieces, "I guess they're worth three or four emeralds on your world? These are pretty common to get as payment."

Ivor inspected the three coins that Max held out in his hand, "Fascinating."

Max nodded and pulled out another coin, this one was shaped in an oval. "These are 'faes', I think they'd cost, uh, how much is gold worth back in your world?"

Lukas was the one to answer, "Uh, I guess around 20 emeralds?"

Max whistled, "Dang, so this is worth one piece of gold back there, and this one" He held a circular shaped one bigger than the 'doubles' coin, "This is a 'Silver' and is probably worth two gold and like, three emeralds."

Jesse stared at the four different currencies that Max held, "Woah, so how many of these do you guys get? Do you get paid yearly?" Max shook his head, "Monthly?" Another shake, "Wait, you get paid weekly!"

El laughed in the back, "Yup! And by the hour too! We get around 1 silver, three 'faes', and ten shards an hour! Our shifts last half the day!"

"Holy shit."

James grinned, "I know right, that's what I thought. The highest paying job is being a soldier and then a guard! Soldiers are paid two silvers, five faes, and 15 shards an hour! Although, they get paid monthly. All of the of the jobs here give payment at the end of the day actually, I guess it's to keep everything fair."

Ivor nodded, seeming overjoyed with the information given to him. "That was more than satisfactory, thank you for the explanation."

Max smiled, "No problem. Now we've been standing in this doorway for way too long talking about money, I sound like my grandfather!"

James led the way to the living room, which was huge, and upstairs into the bedrooms.

He opened a door to the right and led the way in, "Petra, this room can be yours! It's got a mini fridge over there too."

The room was big. As in, the room was twice the size of Jesse's treehouse back home. In the middle of the room pushed against the white wall was a large king sized bed, plush with cool blue blankets and big white pillows. Opposite the bed, were two dressers and a weapons rack full of different swords and weapons, with a few spaces empty for new ones to be stored. Giant sized windows were on the other side of the bed, with a sliding door leading to a small balcony. Just off of the room was a bathroom, complete with a tub, toilet, sink, and a pretty big walk in closet.

Petra sat on the bed and practically sank into it. She let out a groan as she rested against the mattress. "Oh man, I've been dying to lie down all day! This sure beats sleeping on the dirt."

James laughed, "It better be! Or else I'd need to file a complaint to the store I bought it from!"

"I'll leave you here to unpack while I show the others their rooms."

Petra kicked off her shoes and crawled under the covers, "Got it thanks, also shut the door when you leave please."

They made sure to close the door. "Man, not even five minutes here and she acts like she's lived here all her life." Jesse chuckled. James chortled and gestured for them to follow him further.

"Max, El, can you two go downstairs and start cooking lunch?"

Max nodded and practically dragged a groaning El down with him.

They neared the next room which was door down from Petra's and, just like hers, to the right. "This room is yours Ivor, there's a mini fridge here too, just like all the others."

Ivor's room looked exactly like Petra's,but with olive green bedding and black pillows instead of blue and white. And just liked Petra's, there were big windows, a balcony, bathroom and a walk in closet. But instead of a weapons rack, there was a shelf full of potion and alchemy books to sait Ivor's hunger for knowledge.

Ivor immediately ran towards it, skimming through books and taking in the information. They only left when he started muttering to himself about how many nether warts he'd need for a specific potion.

"Alright, Lukas this room will be yours!"

His bed was just like Petra's, blue blankets and white pillows. And on the far wall was a giant bookcase, filled with different books about almost anything there is to find in this world.

Lukas grinned and sat down on the bed, "Soft, I like it." He flopped on his back and lay there smiling. "Yeah, Petra was right, this is way better than sleeping on the ground. Call me down when it's lunch alright? I'm gonna take a quick nap first."

James chuckled and nodded, promising him to wake him up when it was time for lunch.

Next was Jesse's room. His sheets were a deep forest green with white pillows. On the wall was a weapon's rack just like Petra's and a small bookcase with books, but filled with stories of adventurers and daring quests instead of Lukas' or Ivor's informative novels.

Jesse laughed as he threw himself onto the bed, feeling himself sink into the bedding and groaning as he felt his muscles relax from his night of dancing. "Oh man, this feels amazing!"

James smiled, "Yes, I suppose it does. You can go ahead and rest if you want, lunch probably won't be done until a while later. Go ahead, sleep, I'll call you down when it's ready."

Jesse smiled and crawled underneath the soft heavy blankets, "Thanks James."

"You're welcome Jesse."

And as soon as he put his head on the pillow, he sank blissfully unaware into the realm of dreams.

Jesse appeared in a throne room, like the ones you would see described on books or tapestries, but much, much darker. The throne itself was made with obsidian and end stone slabs. A top it sat a lone dark figure, clouded in a dark mist and dust. And before, laying prostrate on the ground was another dark figure, but clearer.

As Jesse observed the two, he realized they were speaking. He moved closer to hear them.

"-You've done it again Damné, you've gone and done it again. Now, when will you stop?" The one atop the throne said, with a voice as unpleasant as nails across chalkboard and as deep as a roar from a tiger.

"Di- sir, please, please forgive me. It was an accident I swear it!" The second one's voice was raspy and high, like someone who's spent an eternity screaming.

The smaller figure bowed lower, his forehead touching the carpet, "Please, sire, I meant no offense!"

"No offense hmm?" The dark figure lifted a clawed hand and brought it up to where the mist clouded his face.

"Yes! I swear, please I won't do it again!" The smaller one was trembling, begging, to clouded one.

"Hmm, I guess you have been good Damné, I forgive you and I will give you another chance."

Damné sobbed with relief, "Thank you master, thank you!" He shuffled forward until he came to the clouded one's large, clawed feet.

He kissed them, saying 'thank you' over and over chant like. As Jesse continued to observe he noticed a slanted pair of dark blue eyes peering at Damné through the mist.

The clouded one reached out a clawed hand and dragged it underneath Damné's chin, lifting his head up to meet him. "You are welcome Damné. But," suddenly his claw pierced the skin, releasing a stream of dark red blood. And Damné let out a gurgled scream as he fell to the ground. "I will take no more mistakes from you."

Damné gurgled as blood gushed from the hole and in his mouth, "Yessss Mas-" He coughed more, causing the pool of blood around him to grow bigger. "Yes, Master."

Despite the unbelievable pain that no doubt Damné was in, he smiled with sharp crooked teeth, gleaming a rusty red. Jesse could practically smell the iron from where he was. He bowed and from his back, unfurled bat like wings the color of rusted copper.

After he watched the winged creature, he turned back to look at the throne, only to find it empty.

Apprehensive, Jesse kept looking only to let out a choked scream as the clouded creature appeared before him from the shadows.  
It reached out its clawed hand and wrapped it around his throat. As Jesse suffocated in its grasp, pointed needle-like teeth pierced through the darkness.

He shivered as its raspy voice broke the silence.

"You better wake up now, _Jesse_ , before you forget how to."

Jesse woke with a gasp, falling out of bed as he flailed, trying to untangle himself from the sheets.

He was drenched in sweat, heart beating erratically in his chest, and his lungs aching as he forced himself to take deep breaths.

"Jesse? Jesse!"

Lukas busted open the door, golden hair disheveled and sticking up all over the place as he stared at him from the doorway.

"Jesse, are you okay? I heard you fall from my ro- woah you look super pale, do you need anything?" Lukas walked across the room and gripped his arm, helping him up to his bed.

Jesse nodded, "Uh-yeah no, I'm fine Lukas it's fine. What time is it?"

Lukas shrugged, "I don't know, I think it's close to lunch though."

Jesse looked out the window, "Yeah I'll go check with James, you can go back to sleep a bit more."

Lukas hesitated before stepping up, "No it's fine, I'll go with you, no point in going to sleep if I'm just going to be called back down."

"Right."

Jesse started to walk down the hallway with Lukas following behind him.

"So Jesse, can we talk?"

He started to panic.

"What happened-"

His breathing became more erratic.

"-in your dream."

And Jesse instantly felt ridiculous.

"Well, can we wait? I really don't want to relay it twice."

Lukas nodded, understanding. "Yeah, of course."

And they continued on in silence, the only sound filling the space left behind was the soft falls of their feet on the carpeted floor.

"Jesse, Lukas! Boys, you two are up earlier than I thought!" He turned around, a bright pink apron tied around his waist and a ladle held aloft in his hand.

The sight made Jesse instantly feel a lot better. Beside him, Lukas hid his laughter with a less than subtle cough.

James merely rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, laugh it up you two. Max made me wear this, brought into my house like it wasn't the most horrible thing I've ever seen!"

James continued in a rather high pitched voice, mocking Max, " _Hey James could you do something for me?_ "

James switched back into his normal tone, "Of course, Max, my good ol' friend, my buddy,my pal, what do you need? I have the utmost trust in you!"

" _Well, could you wear this?_ "

James gestured to the apron tied around him, "And he just shoved this into my arms like it was the most normal thing in the world!"

He dramatically held his hand up to his heart, "I've never trusted him again."

There was a pause before the three of them doubled over with the force of their laughter.

Jesse, eternally grateful for the distraction from his dream.

James wiped the tears from his eyes, "Well, lunch is almost ready, I'm going to wake everyone else up form their naps. I'll be back in a few minutes. Go make yourself at home over there." He gestured to the couch before disappearing up the stairs.

Jesse and Lukas sat on the plush red couch, both sitting rather close for such open space.

"When are you going to tell them?"

Jesse looked at Lukas with surprise, "Tell them? Oh yeah, my freaky dream."

"Jesse, be honest with me. Are you okay?"

"Okay? What do you mean?"

Lukas ran his hand through his hair and sighed, frustrated.

"I mean, how are you doing, you know, with all of this. With everything that's happened. How are you holding up after Rueben? After the Witherstorm? Sky City? Aiden?"

Lukas paused and let his head fall back against the cushions. Eyes staring at the ceiling as he breathed deeply. He turned to look at Jesse, blue eyes filled with concern and worry.

"I just want to know if you're doing okay. You know you can talk to us right, to any of us? You don't need to distance yourself, you don't need to carry everything on your shoulders."

Jesse was moved.

"I-Thank you, really, thank you Lukas. But," He frowned and placed his hands on his knees, "I'm okay, really I'm okay. Maybe not as okay as I was before, -well everything really, but I'm doing better. So, thanks."

He smiled at his friend, "Really, I mean it, thank you."

Lukas smiled back. "You're welcome Jesse."


	7. Chapter 7- And Doubt Rises

"Lukas! Jesse! You guys sure are up early!" Petra smiled wide. What used to be nicely combed hair was now a bird's nest as they saw her come down the stairs.

Lukas snickered, "Woah Petra, what monster did you fight to get that look?"

"Oh shut it, anyways you should see Ivor, his is even worse than mine."

As if on cue, Ivor came down the stairs as well. And, man, Jesse was not prepared for that one.

"Ivor- what?"

He grumbled, hair sticking up as if electrocuted and beard knotted and matted around his face.

Jesse couldn't help but laugh, "Oh man, last time we saw you, you were reading a book. How'd this happen?"

"Oh please, when you left I merely took a short nap."

Petra snorted, "Short? It looks like you fell off of one of those thunderbirds and landed in a bush Ivor."

James chuckled behind them, "Yes, your hair does look similar to those untrained citizens who ride the thunderbirds. But enough of that, let's have lunch."

Lunch was amazing. Hot tomato soup, garlic bread, assortments of exotic fruits of which they'd never seen, ham sandwiches (of which Jesse politely declined), and sparkling cider and tea.

It took only a few seconds before they realized that two certain people were missing from the table.

"Hey James?" Jesse spoke.

He looked up from where he had been pouring the soup into his bowl.

"Yes Jesse?"

"Where's El and Max?"

James smiled, "They had been called by The Leader Khione. I was not sure exactly why they were called, but I'm sure it wasn't too urgent, the messenger didn't seem to be in a hurry."

Jesse nodded.

Suddenly he felt a kick to the shin from Lukas' direction. He raised his head to look at his friend questionly. Lukas merely shifted his eyes to Petra and Ivor.

That's right, his dream.

"Hey Petra, Ivor, James. I have something to tell you."

Petra nearly knocked her chair back as she stood suddenly and slammed her hands on the table.

"YOU AND LUKAS ARE FINALLY DATING!"

Lukas choked on the tea he was drinking and Jesse felt his face heat up at the accusation.

"Wha- no! No! I was just going to tell you about a strange dream I had earlier! Jesus Petra!"

Jesse could barely look at Lukas. Mortification rose up in him, but he pushed it aside. That was for later, this dream was for now.

"Ha, jeez Petra calm down. Anyways, Jesse?"

"Right! Right, so-" And he told them. He told them about the strange creature Damné, about the terrifying monster whose face hid in mist and shadows, and about the throne room cloaked in darkness.

James and the others looked troubled. James even more so. His entire demeanor grew darker as he listened intently to Jesse's dream, hanging on to any and every detail.

And when Jesse finished, James rose to his feet.

"I am glad you have entrusted me in this Jesse. For the past few years, the darkness has seemed to be growing, even after all the precautions we have taken. Even after the flowers and after the Goddess had visited." He stopped and stroked the slight stubble on his face, "This is troublesome. I should warn Leader Khione about thi-"

A sudden and frantic knocking sounded at the door, and only grew louder and more panicked the longer it took for the five of them to answer it.

El, terrified and anxious, greeted them. Her face pale and eyes full of worry as she entered the household.

"James, you-you and the others, you guys need to come." She turned to face them before continuing, "Leader Khione, there's something wrong, something terribly wrong. Please, hurry."

And then she fled.

Jesse and the others stood shocked, staring at the place where El was.

And then they heard the commotion outside.

People were running, shouting at each other to 'hurry up' and 'get to the tree.' No longer was the peaceful and joyful atmosphere that blanketed the village. Only terror and worry, as its people fled from their homes to see what was happening.

James tapped Jesse's shoulder, "Pack up you four, we need to get you to Leader Khione."

The New Order of the Stone did just that. They changed quickly into their armor, packing any necessities they might need, and rushed back downstairs.

James was dressed back in his guard outfit, but with a helmet tucked neatly under his arm and a sword hanging off his belt. Whatever this is, was serious.

As the crowds grew thicker, the sky filled with dark clouds. Thunder echoed through the village, hiding the people's thumping feet as they ran.

"Hurry, I know a shortcut." James led them into an alley, the crowd running and pushing behind them as they escaped the commotion.

James lifted a small gate at the end of the alley, "These underground tunnels lead to the castle, where Leader Khione and Leader Freya live. Come, we don't have much time."

James grabbed one of the lit torches from the wall above them and jumped down into the tunnel system.

Jesse leapt down first, Ivor and Lukas in the middle, and Petra guarding them from the back as they followed James' light as he led them further down into the dark.

As they continued, the shouts of the villagers became softer until they were no longer able to hear them. But the occasional boom of thunder was still heard in the tunnels.

"James, what is going on?" Petra asked.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that, but hopefully Leader Khione knows."

As they delved further down, Jesse felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Psst, Jesse." Whispered Lukas.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think this has something to do with your dream?"

"I don't know, I hope not though."

The only sound that broke through the silence was the echo of their footsteps and clinking of their armor as they walked on in silence, too apprehensive to talk any longer.

Finally, James came to a halt. "This is where the tunnel ends, Jesse hold the torch for me."

Jesse grasped the torch, and for barely a fraction of a second, everything looked different. But before he could process the change, it was gone. He didn't even know what he saw.

"I got it, come out now. We're right outside the castle."

James held out his hand and waited for Jesse to grab hold of him. With his help, the Order pulled themselves from the tunnels.

As they emerged, they could hear the faint sounds of the crowd behind them.

James paid it no attention, telling the guards and soldiers to let them in. That they had an audience with the Leaders.

Finally, they let them through. James discarded the torch and walked briskly towards the castle gates.

They swung open, and they gasped as they entered the castle for the first time.

The hall was made entirely out of marble. Lanterns and chandeliers of glowstone hung from the ceiling giving it a nice soft glow. From where they entered to where they presumed to where the Throne Room would be, was a red carpet. High windows of stained glass bled crystals onto the ground and the the walls, making everything seem as if it were from a fairytale.

A soldier, dressed in white armor and a long sword addressed them.

"James, it's good to see you again my friend."

"Edward, it's good to see you too." He smiled back.

Edward had light blonde hair which was slicked back. Green vibrant eyes peered at them, curious but friendly. He had a white chestplate and leg guards, with a white iron shield slung across his back.

From where they could see, under his armor he wore a plain black long sleeved shirt and grey pants.

"Edward, these are the Strangers from the portal, as well as my new friends."

They beamed as they heard James say 'friends.' But quickly grew serious again as James reminded them that they were there to see the Leaders.

Edward nodded, "Of course, they're in the throne room."

As they walked, they introduced themselves. Edward smiled, but his gaze lingered a moment more on Lukas, who was talking to Ivor about the great architecture of the castle, before talking to James.

Jesse glanced between Lukas and Edward, suspicion and worry rising up in him. And even slight twinge of jealousy.

Then he felt a blunt pain in his shoulder.

"Petra! What was that for."

She smirked and looked at Lukas then back at him.

"Oh please, you were getting too serious. Besides, if you're worried about the thing causing all this panic, anything that comes our way, I'm sure we could defeat. So don't stress so much, we've got your back. But if it has something to do with Lukas, then I don't know." She laughed.

He rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, "Thanks Petra."

Her eyes softened and she bumped his shoulder, "You're welcome Jesse."

"We're here." James said to them.

Immediately they straightened their backs as Edward signaled for the soldiers to open the doors.

And immediately, they were in awe. Just like the outside hall, the entire thing was covered in marble. But instead of the red carpet that led to the dias where two thrones were seated, was a purple carpet, lined with gold. Along the walls were plants of different types of colorful flowers, each of them more interesting and beautiful than anything they had seen, here or back home.

But the plants weren't in pots or hollowed out marble or stone. No, they were planted into the floor, a bed of dirt supporting them. From where Jesse was, he could see a small stream of clear water that separated the earth and the marble.

From the ceiling hung chandeliers. Potted plants hung down as well, the flowers giving off a glow, keeping the Throne Room well lit and warm.

High windows, just like the ones outside, allowed light to filter into the room. A rainbow of crystals fell onto the walls and the floor. Above, from where the two thrones were, was a giant circle of stained glass. And in the window, was a depiction of a flower. White petals with a blue crystal stem, glowed brilliantly as the sun hit the glass.

To Jesse, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. James led them to the front, and from there, he could see the thrones better.

Instead of the white marble of the room, or even the stone that most thrones were made of. The two thrones were made of wood. Dark brown wood, uncommon for the setting for the grandeur of the room.

And although the material was uncommon, the thrones were no less beautiful. The arms of the throne were carved to look like lion heads. The cushions were plush and purple, and the back of the throne rose high, a crest of a lion circled around a flower placed in the middle.

Jesse and the others were in of the splendor and magnificence of it all. But he was worried, if the Leaders' castle was like this, then what were they like? Were they haughty and conceited? Stubborn and prideful?

Then the doors to the left of the Throne Room were opened. And the Leaders entered.

Jesse and the others knelt and ducked their head, following James' lead as he kneeled before them as they sat on their thrones.

A deep voice echoed throughout the room, "Rise."

James and them stood quickly.

And immediately, Jesse was blown away.

One of the women was far beyond than what Jesse had imagined her to be. Curly ebony hair was pulled back into a braided bun, accented by glowing white flowers. Her skin, almost as dark as the night was covered in light scars that had to have been given to her years before. And her eyes, they seemed to be made of fine amber and honey, the wisdom of an owl and the fierceness of a lioness, shone in them as she surveyed their group.

She adorned a flowing, sleeveless white dress. Simple but elegant. A golden sash was tied into a knot under chest. On her biceps were golden armbands, and around her neck was a simple silver chain with a pendant.

She held herself firmly, back straight and shoulders tense. Like any other leader heading into battle. Jesse had a guess that she probably had seen battle, as evidence from her numerous scars that told stories of her bravery and strength.

And then there was the second leader.

Her skin was almost as dark as her spouse's and her hair as white as the marble. Instead of the white flowers like the other Leader, she had glowing red and golden ones embedded in her hair which was pulled back in a tight braid.

Wise and piercing blue eyes cut into them. Her stare, calculating and cold, but somehow kind and understanding.

Her attire was like her spouse's. But instead of a plain white, her's was like the plume of a phoenix. A brilliant gold fading into red, a white sash tied into a knot under chest.

She wore similar bands on her arms and a matching chain around her neck. Around her eyes she had silver piercings, bringing out the glow in them.

She held herself a lot like her spouse, back straight and firm, her shoulders tense. And like her wife, she adorned scars from battle. Her knowing and cunning stare told tales of using her words to cut through her enemies as well as a sword.

"Leader Khione, what is happening? Why have you called me?" James asked.

The amber eyed one smiled, "I will answer your questions James, do not worry. For the first question, I am not entirely sure, but our informants are gathering information as we speak. For the second question, I believe these are the Strangers that have entered our world. I would like to know them."

James nodded and introduced them. Leader Khione and Leader Freya smiled in greeting.

"Leader Khione, although you have asked for my presence, I must ask something of you and Leader Freya."

They looked to each other first. Leader Freya then turned to Jesse and the others curiously.

Leader Khione nodded, "You have our attention James, tell us."

He looked at Jesse first for permission. Jesse nodded.

James began to tell them of the dream. Of the Clouded One, of Damné, and of the dark Throne Room.

The Leaders listened intently. Faces giving away no emotion as they drank in every word that James told them. When he ended the story, Leader Freya spoke for the first time since they had arrived.

Voice deep but airy, she said, "That brings ill news James. You said that Jesse had this dream?"

Jesse nodded, "Yes, Leader Freya. I do not know what it means, but it wasn't good."

She nodded and turned to Leader Khione, who nodded in return.

Leader Freya then turned back to them and spoke, "What you had just described is something that we had been dreading ever since we saw a rise in the Darkness."

Jesse saw how James tensed, but his face gave away no other emotion. The rise in the Darkness? What did that even mean?

"Was that why you had us plant extra flowers and place more guards around the walls Leader Khione?"

"Yes, I had foolishly hoped that if we added better protection, the Darkness would become fearful and flee." Leader Khione sighed, "But I was wrong. The Darkness only grew stronger, I should have known that to cut down a weed, was to get rid of its roots."

Despite the situation, Leader Freya smiled. "If I remember correctly, love, those were my exact words to you."

"Yes, they were." She smiled back at her wife. Gaze soft and loving.

"Hey, uh, not to be rude or anything, but we kind of have a problem we need to get back to." Petra interrupted.

The Leaders looked at Petra and chuckled lightly, "Yes, sorry-"

The doors burst open and a man waving a parchment of paper ran in, the soldiers chasing after him.

"Leaders! Leaders! Please, listen!"

The soldiers finally caught up to the man, "I'm sorry Leader Freya and Leader Khione, we told him to come back later."

Leader Khione raised her hand, "No it is alright, the matter seems urgent." She looked to the stranger, "Why have you come here?"

The man yanked himself away from the soldiers and kneeled before the Leaders.

"Leader Khione and Leader Freya, please you must help me. My family and I were traveling here to sell our crops, but we were attacked by these, creatures. Huge and unlike any we've ever seen in our town. Please, you have to help us."

Leader Khione stood there, contemplating the man's plea for their aid.

"James, The Order of the Stone, would you five be able to help this man? I believe this attack has something to do with the rising darkness."

Jesse was dumbfounded. The Leaders of this Village, trusting them enough to send them out and help?

James looked at each of them, silently asking if they were okay with it. They all nodded.

"Yes, Leaders, we will help this man and get to the bottom of what's causing all this."

Leader Freya smiled warmly, "Thank you James, The Order, I will send soldiers with you with provisions for your journey."

Leader Khione faced the man, "Meanwhile, I would like for you to draw us a map of where your family is. You will stay here and rest, I will send messengers to your town to let them know you are safe, here."

The man smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Leader Khione, Leader Freya."

Taking that as their signal to leave, Jesse and the others followed James back out into the hallway.

"Are you sure you want to do this Jesse? I could always ask for help from my friends?" James asked, concerned.

Petra smirked and crossed her arms, "Oh please, you make it sound like we've never been on an adventure before."

He laughed, "Alright then, you've sold me. Come, let's get back so we can pack more."

As they walked towards the gates, Jesse looked out, expecting to see a crowd rioting and pounding against the metal bars. Instead, he saw concerned people, asking the soldiers questions, and if 'the man from earlier is alright.'

Then, someone gasped and pointed to the Castle. Everyone else looked up, including them, to see what was happening.

Leader Freya and her wife had stepped out onto one of the balconies, the man between them.

"Friends, there is no need to be alarmed. I have heard your questions, and now we are here to answer them." And although it was not possible, Jesse could hear her as if she were standing right in front of him. She wasn't even shouting.

"The man, Frenris, is alright and well. But his family is in danger, as are we." The crowd below murmured, apprehension and confusion clear as day on their faces.

"A darkness is coming, and it is coming fast. Frenris and his family was attacked by one of these creatures, and I believe that they might target us next. I have already sent warnings to the three surrounding Villages. We are awaiting their responses." Leader Freya said.

The crowd murmured more, and a voice piped up from the crowd.

"What about the celebration? Will the Goddess still come to us on the third day?"

"Will today be cancelled?"

"What about the feasts?"

The crowd was shouting now, demanding for their questions to be heard. And while there was no banging or rioting yet, Jesse feared that it might escalate to just that.

"SILENCE!"

Leader Khione peered down at the people. Her strong voice carried out the desired effect as the crowd seemed to deflate.

Leader Freya stepped up, "I understand that you are upset, but we are not calling off the celebrations."

The crowd that had previously fallen silent, now talked amongst each other.

"Now that the darkness is rising, I believe that now more than ever, is the time to celebrate. We must keep our spirits up, for once we start to fall down that road to despair, we also fall into darkness. So now, rejoice! Shout praise to your neighbors, your friends, your families! We continue to celebrate, now for the lives at stake and for the people we love!"

The crowd was in uproar, cheering and applauding their leaders. And once the gates were cleared, they were able to pass through. Jesse could see, as he looked around him, close friends hugging one another, couples kissing each other, parents swinging their children into the air. They celebrated like there was no tomorrow.

In front of them, James laughed as another citizen ran past and hugged him. Jesse and the others found themselves given the same treatment.

And then it began to rain.

But the people did not stop, the mood did not change. In fact, they cheered louder, splashing in the puddles, holding their hands up to catch the droplets of water. A few couples stomped and clapped to the beat of the thunder.

Jesse looked around in wonder, in amazement as he drank it all in. In any other place, no one would be celebrating like this.

Lightning crackled and split the sky.

Then suddenly, everything was different. Jesse gasped and stepped back in shock, feeling as though the earth had been ripped from him. The clapping and cheering, Jesse couldn't hear it. Everything fell into a grayscale. Nothing made sense. He couldn't hear the crowds. He couldn't hear any of it, except for the crackling of lightning and a voice? Who's voice? Jesse wanted to scream, to tear at his ears and throat, a strange urge overcame him.

He needed to _something_.

He needed. . .

He needed to what? What did he need to do? Why does he feel so trapped? Who was talking to him?

"Jesse? Are you feeling alright?"

James' face came into view. But somehow, it was wrong. Something wasn't right. Jesse could barely concentrate. He couldn't focus. Nothing felt real anymore. Why?

Then lightning struck again and everything was normal. Color flooded back into Jesse's world, James looked the same, and he could hear the people around him.

He took in a gulp of air and tried to ground himself. James asked again if he was fine.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay. I'm okay. I- uh, I just tripped." Jesse could tell how lame that excuse was when he saw James' face contort into even more worry and confusion.

He walked past him briskly towards the others, who thankfully, hadn't seen a thing. James sighed, and followed shortly after him.

"Jesse! Hey, are you alright? You look kind of pale." Lukas asked.

He brushed past him and continued walking, ignoring the pang of guilt when he saw hurt on Lukas' face. He'll apologize later.

The guards escorted them back to James' house, and they split up, looking for extra rations and clothes.

Jesse wandered into his temporary room and sorted through the walk in closet. He found different assortments of clothes. From pajamas with pink fluffy clouds on them, to even armor in the back.

He grabbed a few sets and went back downstairs, his pack slung across his back filled with everything he needs.

As he walked down the hall he couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier, and in the tunnels as well. He couldn't help but feel that maybe this is what Dia had meant when he said, 'not everyone here is as they seem.' He wasn't sure.

He tried to think back to what James' had looked like then. He couldn't think of anything, he couldn't even remember what the world had looked like. All that remained was a deep, unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Jesse!"

Jesse almost jumped in surprise as Ivor's door slammed open.

"Ivor, hey. You have everything you need?"

He rolled his eyes.

"If anything I should be asking you that, I'm older."

"Older? More like ancient." Petra snarked. Jesse jumped in surprise at her arrival.

Ivor cried out in indignation, "I am not that old Petra!"

Jesse rolled his eyes and smirked, "Really? Because it seems to me you're the only one here with a beard and greying hair."

Ivor growled and threw his hands up in the air as he started to walk away from them both. "I don't have to take this!"

Petra chuckled as Ivor disappeared behind the corner. Jesse smiled at Petra before they started to walk down the hallway as well to join the others.

James smiled up at them from the bottom of the staircase, a bag in hand and his armor, plus a helmet. Across his back was a crossbow and hanging on his hip was a short sword.

Lukas was beside Ivor, wearing the same clothes they wore when they first arrived. He looked tired.

"Hey Jesse, is it just me or does Lukas look, tired? Not as in 'oh I didn't get enough sleep' tired, but as in. . ." Petra hesitated, "as in, 'I can't continue on anymore." She whispered beside him as they descended down the stairs.

He nodded, worried for his friend. Maybe he should tell Lukas to sit this one out, to rest and be happy.

He instantly decided against it. If he told Lukas to stay, who knows how he'd react. Lukas was important, they needed him.

Lukas smiled, face a little too pale for Jesse's liking.

"Hey guys, you ready for another adventure?"

Petra smirked, "Chasing bad guys, defeating monster, what more could I want."

Ivor nodded, "Hmm, maybe we'll find out more about this goddess. Or this Clouded One that Jesse saw."

He rolled his eyes, "Please. If anything, I'd want to stay away from that guy."

James smiled gently and rested a hand on Lukas' shoulder, "Well, we better start moving then, or we might be in the woods after dark. The place where Frenris was attacked is a little place away from here."

Jesse and the others agreed, disliking the idea of staying out and in danger after nightfall.

As The Order of the Stone and the Guard left The Village, the group wondered if what they were about to do, wasn't a huge mistake.

From the shadows that lined the wall, a pair of bright blue eyes watched our heroes leave their sanctuary. The Order was a surprise but, nothing would get in its way. Nothing **Could** get in its way.

 **From The Darkness, Doubt Rises**


	8. Chapter 8- Behind Golden Flickers

**Title inspired by Aimsiesmoo**

The group was trekking through the forest, and although the rain had stopped, the sky was still cloudy, giving them little sunlight to see their way through.

At last they stopped at a clearing like the one they had settled at before they came to The Village.

"James, where are we even going?" Petra asked. Annoyance clear in her voice as she stepped closer.

"I have the map that The Leaders requested Frenris to draw." James showed Petra the map, "It seems that we're heading near to the overpass."

Lukas squished in beside Petra to take a good look at the map.

"That seems kind of dangerous, if we're cornered there we won't have much of an escape route."

Ivor spoke up, "Hmm, I will have to agree with blondie, this does seem a little risky."

Soon they were all crowded around the map, trying to come up with different strategies. Jesse looked up from the map to look at James who was deep in thought.

A rustling came from the bushes that only Jesse and James seemed to pick up. James' peered at the bush and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Jesse did the same.

Jesse nudged Ivor, "Shh, there's something here."

Immediately the group quieted, only now they noticed the unnatural stillness that surrounded them.

Lukas picked up his bow and knocked an arrow as Petra lifted her sword. Ivor rummaged through his backpack for potions.

Jesse stepped back just enough so he was standing next to the archer.

"Lukas, when something comes out of the bushes, I want you to pin it."

Lukas nodded. "Sure thing Jesse."

The group waited in tense silence, nobody daring to move a muscle.

The bushes continued to rustle and make noise as the thing moved closer to their group.

Jesse prepared himself as the creature reached the final bush at the front of the surrounding trees.

The movement stopped.

Petra stepped closer despite Lukas' and James' warnings not to. Her eyes narrowed, her steps cautious and silent as she stalked ever nearer to the line of bushes. She peered over the leaves and looked down.

Jesse rushed over thinking she was hit when she nearly dropped her sword and knelt down into the bushes.

But apparently that wasn't the case.

"Guys look!" Petra turned and held something out for them to see.

"It's like a rabbit, see it has long ears!"

James walked over and smiled at the animal Petra was balancing in her hand.

"This is not a rabbit, our rabbits are bigger."

They all turned to him in surprise, "Bigger!"

James laughed and picked the animal from Petra and shifted it better for all of them to see.

"Yes, see, this is a Jĥakka. It comes from forests or jungles, these little spirits are usually a good omen!" He lifted up the furry creature proudly.

"Petra, this thing looks more like a shrunken down deer than a rabbit."

It's coat was a mottled brown and green, little leaves and what seemed to be flowers were clotted at the base of its long ears. Small twig like antlers stemmed from its head, neck, and part of its back as well. Its paws, that would usually be without any type of claws, had sharp and curved talons. Probably to run up trees, Jesse noted. Although it had long ears, its head was more like a deer's.

Milky white eyes stared at them all, somehow seeming to be bored with them.

James set the Jĥakka back on the ground and the group watched as it ran off back into the forest.

Ivor took a notebook out of his pack and started to write, probably about the animal they had just encountered.

Lukas walked beside James as they continued down the path.

"So, what do the Jĥakka even mean? What good fortune does it bring?"

James smiled and replied, loud enough for the group to hear. "A Jĥakka can bring many good omens. Like a shining sun to find our way, a cloudless day not ruin our fun, and luck in finding things lost in the leaves."

Birds chirped from the trees as the sun shone through the leaves, casting interesting patterns on the ground.

Ivor nodded, "Hmm, I suppose omens really do exist here."

James looked back at him quizzically, "Do you mean that omens do not exist from where you are from?"

Petra shook her head, "Not typically. It's more of a small hope that things might turn out for the best. One good omen I've heard is when you spot a frog in an area that hasn't seen rain in a while. It means that a good shower would appear in a week. Sorry to break it to you buddy, but that type of shit just doesn't happen."

James nodded, seeming somewhat disappointed.

The grass quickly got taller as they continued to walk, an occasional rustling in the bushes meant nothing more than squirrels or other animals looking for food. The only danger they had to fear were any more of those dark creatures that Frenris had said attacked him.

They got closer to the overpass that James had said was there. The forest opened up to a clear sky, tall grass, and a wrecked carriage that contrasted the peaceful scene so greatly that it was eerie.

Although it didn't seem possible, it looked as if the wood had already started to rot and decay, moss and grass growing over parts of it. It looked old, as if it had been there for years and not a meere day. The windows were broken and one of the wheels was lying a few feet away, as if it had been ripped out.

A chill ran down Jesse's spine as he stared at it, unblinkingly as the grass moved around as a breeze pushed it around.

"I'm not sure I understand. Why does it look like it's been here for years? I'm pretty sure it's only been a day?" Petra whispered.

"Jame, is this one of your world's things? James?" Lukas asked, pausing only when he took a good look at their companion's face, which had paled drastically since they got there.

"James," Jesse asked softly, "Are you okay?"

James came back to and said shakily, "I'm-I'm okay. Just," he paused to collect himself, "The last time I had seen this type of magic, was in the middle of a battle. It-it wasn't pretty." The last part came out as nothing more than a murmur.

Jesse patted his back, "It's okay, we can retreat for now and come back, it's not like it's going to move."

James smiled, "Thank you Jesse, but I'm afraid that we need to act quickly, or it will turn to dust, as most things do when they are in time's element."

Jesse looked back and stared in shock. Already, the carriage had seemed to age a few years, flowers blooming on the moss, the wood rotting away.

"You're right. Okay, what's the plan guys? You think any of those creatures are still hanging around?"

James shook his head, "When I was a young a boy, when the darkness was still present, a few of these creatures had attacked us. They give off a slightly different aura, and where they stand, any life underneath their feet dies. Nothing ever grows there again."

Lukas peered over the tall grass, "I can't see any burn prints on the ground from here. James, can you give me a boost? You're the tallest."

Lukas climbed on his shoulders and scanned the surrounding area.

"Can you see anything up there?" Petra asked.

He shook his head and climbed back down, "No, nothing seems out of the ordinary. There wasn't a single dead area in sight? James, are you sure that these were the creatures that attacked it?"

James sighed and ran a hand down his face, "Yes, I would recognize something like this. I don't understand, why aren't there any dead spots?"

Ivor glared at carriage, "Do the areas die instantly or do they take time?"

James' eyes widened, "No, that is different. That's the work of something even worse, even more dangerous than what we're up against. Why didn't I see it before."

Before anyone could stop him, James ventured into the tall grass, closer and closer to the carriage wheel that had been tossed away.

He picked it up and turned it over. His shoulders tensed and he made a motion to come over.

Petra was the first to go.

"Hurry up, we won't have all day."

The others quickly followed.

James showed them the back of the wheel, "Do you see this?" Jesse and the others flinched away, for on the back were what seemed to be claw marks that bled. From the cracks in the wood leaked the coppery red substance, it didn't seem to have aged at all, it wasn't dry.

Ivor got closer, "I've-I've never seen anything like this? Do you know what this is?"

He nodded, "Yes, this is what's causing time to be sped up around this area. I thought that it might have been something different," he paused as to give it some thought before shaking his head, "I was hoping it wasn't this."

Petra cleared her throat, "Uh, yeah, sorry but what does this mean? Can we reverse it? What created this?"

James frowned, his brows creased in concentration, "I-I cannot remember. We should look for survivors."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, that's a good start, we're here to retrieve Frenris' family. Ivor, James and Petra, I want you three to check the surrounding areas in case they might have run off somewhere. Lukas you're with me, we're going to check the carriage."

James nodded and brought some conch shells from his pack, "Here, if anyone is in trouble use these, we'll be able to contact each other."

They each took one and put them in their packs. Lukas and Petra put them in their pockets.

Jesse smiled at the older figure, "Thanks James. Okay, now everyone, split up!"

Petra managed to give Jesse an encouraging and knowing smile as she finger gunned before running away. He sighed and smiled before gesturing to Lukas, "Come on, let's see if they're still around here somewhere."

Lukas nodded and followed Jesse to the broken carriage.

"Should we open the door or peak through the window first?" Jesse asked.

"I think we should just open the door, some moss and grass has already grown on the windows."

As Jesse was reaching for the handle, a light scuffle was heard from within. Instantly, they froze. They looked at each other, silently asking if they had heard it as well.

Lukas nodded and reached for his bow while Jesse reached for his sword. Lukas moved closer to Jesse, his weapon drawn and heald aimed towards the door. Ever so slowly, Jesse started to reach for the handle again.

He grasped the knob and turned slowly. Hearing the click of the lock being opened, Jesse threw open the door.

They faced darkness instead of a monster.

"Jesse? Are you seeing nothing too?"

He nodded, his sword held up and ready to defend.

Inside, they should have been able to see the seats, the carnage of a fight, a broken window maybe. Instead, they were faced with the absolute nothingness that only the dark had to offer. They stared into an abyss. Thankfully, nothing seemed to stare back.

"Should I shoot?" Lukas whispered.

Jesse shook his head, "No, we're going to step back and use the conch shells and get James here, maybe he'll know something."

The two stepped back in unison. Steps quiet and soft against the grass. A cold wind blew against them. Jesse shuddered, it felt as if someone was breathing down his neck.

When they were a few feet from the carriage, Lukas lowered his bow and reached for the conch shell in his pocket. Jesse held his sword up and put his other hand out in front of Lukas, shielding him while his friend's guard was down.

Before Lukas could sound the alarm, two other conch shells sounded in the forest. Each one from Petra or Ivor.

"I'll get Ivor." Jesse was already running.

"I'll get Petra."

They split up.

As Jesse delved deeper into the forest, Ivor's conch shell was getting more frantic, more hurried.

He ran faster, not caring for the branches that whipped his face. Narrowly missing tree roots and rocks, he ran, and ran, and ran. Never stopping.

He burst from the trees into another clearing, sword held high as he yelled at the top of his lungs. Eyes locked onto the dark creature that was about to attack his friend.

He slammed into the beast, knocking it back a few feet. He placed himself between it and Ivor.

"Jesse! Thank goodness you're here! Is Lukas with Petra?" Ivor rushed up to him, potions held in his hand and the conch shell held in his other.

"Yeah, Lukas is with Petra- Ivor what is that thing!" Jesse shouted. He felt panicked as it stood on its four, no six legs.

"Six legs! Why does it have six legs!"

Ivor glared briefly at him before looking back at the monster, not daring to take his eyes off the thing for long.

"I don't know! I just know that it can bleed! And if it can bleed-"

"We can kill it." Jesse's eyes narrowed down onto the ragged cut on its shoulder.

Ivor nodded, "I managed to shove it into a rock before it could get me. It's not one of those creatures that James mentioned, where it steps," Ivor pointed to the land below its feet, "-where it steps, the place is still alive, still green."

Jesse nodded. His hair on his neck and arms stood on end as the creature growled, revealing large canine teeth. Foam and saliva dripped from its mouth.

Golden eyes peered at them, amusement shining in them as they narrowed, acknowledging that it now had one more target to kill. It seemed almost to grin as it got nearer.

Jesse felt the cold dagger of fear, something he hadn't felt in a while, barrow into his stomach. He gripped the diamond sword tighter as it prowled, slowly, towards them.

"Jesse? What do we do?" Ivor asked from beside him.

"We need to kill it."

With that, Jesse charged. The monster, not expecting its prey to advance so quickly, leapt out of the way of Jesse's sword as he swung where its head had been.

Jesse danced away as one of its many claws tried to swipe at his head. As he did, a potion broke against its hide, causing it to lean to the side as it took damage from whatever potion Ivor threw at it.

He took his chance and brought his sword down on its head.

To his surprise, the monster caught it with its jaw and wrenched it from his hands, throwing him off balance which gave it time to knock him away. The beast dropped the sword and advanced.

Jesse fell, skidding along the dirt from the force. He brought himself up only to stare in terror as its huge mass leapt at him. Maw open much wider than it should be able to, large teeth still stained red from some poor animal that it had probably consumed earlier.

He threw himself into a roll as the creature flew over him. He ran to his sword and blocked, just in time as the monster brought its claws down on him.

"Ivor! Throw a potion!"

Ivor searched through his pack frantically, throwing books, clothes, jugs and other potions away as he searched, panicked.

"Ivor!" Jesse struggled beneath the monster's strength, "Potion! Now!"

Its other paw knocked him away again and Jesse crashed into a boulder. He let out a choked yelp from the pain in his head as his body was thrown. His shoulder burned as he fell back onto the ground.

The creature growled again as it stalked towards him. Jesse looked around, frantically trying to find anything that could aid him. He spotted his sword a couple feet away from him, too far away.

A shadow passed over him.

Freezing, Jesse looked up at the monster. It was huge. And it was terrifying. Golden eyes which burning with a malice and hunger that Jesse hoped to never see again, if he got out of this alive, bore into him.

Its body was black. He couldn't even tell if it was fur, skin, or scales. It was a hulking mass of shadow, white teeth seemed to glow, glinting claws scraped against the dirt and the occasional stone.

It growled, low and deep. Jesse felt his stomach drop as he felt himself freeze. Fear and an unimaginable horror seeped into his bones. He wanted to scream, cry, or do anything. But he couldn't.

He couldn't even move.

The sound of glass breaking didn't completely register in Jesse's head until the beast fell over, Ivor standing behind it and a broken potion on the ground.

Jesse breathed heavily, that same fear still coursed through him as he stared at the beast. It's tongue, it was pointed his brain supplied, lolled out from its mouth. Its eyes almost closed. Jesse could only see slits of gold.

Ivor rushed over, placing himself in front of him, blocking his view of the beast.

"Jesse? Jesse, are you alright?" Ivor shook his shoulders, trying to get him to snap out of it.

"Ivo-Ivor?"

Jesse focused on his older friend. Grey eyes shined with worry for the younger before Ivor pulled away.

"Thank god, okay Jesse, I need to check your head to see if you have a concussion, can I do that?" He asked.

Jesse stared at Ivor in slight confusion as shock. Ivor's voice was incredibly soft and concerned.

He nodded, still slightly in a daze as Ivor ran over to Jesse's side to check for any lasting damage.

"Good news, I don't think you have a concussion. Bad news, I think you dislocated your arm."

Jesse nodded, still in shock.

"I'm going to relocate your shoulder, this is going to hurt." Ivor muttured the last bit to himself before grasping Jesse's arm and shoving upward.

Jesse felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and let out a choked scream as he jerked.

Ivor chewed his lip, "Sorry. I think you're good now, come on."

He put on his pack and helped Jesse up.

Jesse grabbed his sword before glancing back at the beast, shuddering as he looked at it.

"I think it's dead, what I threw at it-" Ivor paused, "Is-it was a bad potion, Jesse. Come on, the others are probably waiting."

He nodded numbly.

As they walked, Jesse felt the shock wash away from his body, leaving him exhausted and pained.

But with his head clear, he was able to think. He shuddered when his mind instantly flashed back to the beast.

Ivor looked at him in concern from the corner of his eye, but said nothing about it. Jesse was grateful.

At last, they emerged back to the overpass. James, Lukas and Petra were already there. Petra had a cut on her arm that was being dressed by Lukas, and a head wound that already had a bandage. He sighed as he stared at the redhead, she was okay then. He looked to Lukas.

Jesse sucked in a breath as he took a double take.

Lukas had bruises lining the side of his face, dried blood was smeared across his forehead from a head wound, and he bled from a long cut on his leg. He looked tired, either from blood loss or exhaustion, Jesse didn't want to find out.

James looked at the duo in concern. He had a sling wrapped around his arm, and his side was bandaged, blood seeping through showing how bad the wound must be.

Petra spotted them first when they broke through from the treeline.

"Jesse! Ivor!"

Lukas' and James' head snapped up to stare at them. A huge smile broke on all three of their faces as they walked closer to their friends.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Petra asked.

Ivor merely raised a brow, "Us? What happened to you guys! It looks as if you were hit by a creeper!"

Petra rolled her eyes, "Nah, we just fought two of these really terrifying wolf things."

"Two!" Jesse shouted. He was surprised. He barely survived just one.

She nodded, "Yeah, James and I were fighting one when Lukas came to help us. When we finished the first one, a second one burst from the trees and smacked James away and broke his arm."

James nodded. "Yes, but they killed the beast! Valiant and heroic!" He beamed, proud of their accomplishment.

Lukas rolled his eyes but smiled, a little tired but no less genuine. "M'kay you're done Petra." He turned to Ivor and Jesse, "How about you two, any injuries I need to worry about?"

Ivor shook his head, "Other than some bruises I'm okay, Jesse dislocated his shoulder but I fixed it. Now, how about you?"

Lukas looked at Ivor in surprise. "Me? Oh, yeah." He looked down at his leg, "Forgot about that."

Ivor rolled his eyes, "Come here blondie."

As Lukas scooted closer, Ivor fished out two Potions of Healing from his pack and gave them to Lukas.

"Both of those are for you. No arguments."

Lukas looked surprised but shut his mouth and quickly drank them, unwilling to fight Ivor.

Petra and Jesse relaxed when Lukas' wounds slowly began to heal.

"Thanks Ivor."

"Hmph, you're no use to us hurt blondie, and though I'm loathe to admit," He cleared his throat and whispered so only Lukas heard, "but you've grown on me."

Lukas gaped at Ivor for a moment, unaware that Ivor had grown to like their group, to befriend them all.

He relaxed and smiled up at him, "Thanks Ivor. And for the record," his voice grew softer, "You've grown on me too."

Ivor's face softened for a moment, but Jesse saw it, and despite not knowing what either of them were saying, smiled.

Ivor coughed and shoved Lukas lightly who laughed as the moment was broken. "Yeah, whatever. Come on blondie."

Lukas rolled his eyes but got up shakily, "You're never going to get rid of that nickname are you."

He smirked before turning away, "Not for a second, unless you want something like 'brat' but I already call Petra that."

"Hey!"

James laughed and patted Jesse on the shoulder, "You have good friends Jesse."

He smiled, "Yeah, they're pretty awesome." He had amazing friends, he knew that for certain.

A cold wind blew and suddenly the atmosphere grew tense as clouds blocked the sun. The wind blew harsher and the ambient sounds of the forest, that Jesse hadn't even noticed, had stopped. Everything was still and quiet.

Jesse looked up in confusion, he hadn't seen those clouds a few minutes ago. What was happening?

Flashes of sunlight filtered through the dark clouds, like golden flickers from a fading candle.

"James, what's happening?" Petra asked, sword already out. Ivor was up as well, potions and battered stone sword at the ready. Lukas had his bow out and drawn and James had a tight grip on his sword.

"I don't know. Jesse, what happened before you and Lukas came to find us." It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

"Well, Lukas and I were about to open the carriage but we heard a rustling inside, so we took out our weapons." The wind howled and Jesse looked around anxiously half expecting something else to happen. When nothing did, he continued.

"We opened the door, but there was nothing."

"Nothing. As in, you couldn't see what was causing the noise nothing? Did you search the rest of the carriage?"

Jesse shook his head, "No, as in there was literally nothing. We couldn't see anything, it was all black, like a wall of shadows was blocking our view!" He was shouting by the time he had finished his sentence, for the wind grew louder and louder, the tall blades of grass whipping at them where they stood.

James had grown pale. He drew his sword and turned to face the carriage, who's door still remained unmoved and open despite the wind slamming against it.

"Jesse, what else. What else happened!"

"That was it, we were about to call for you so you could tell us what was going on but then you guys were in trouble, so we came to help!"

James' dreadlocks flew wildly around his face as the wind blew. His eyes and expression stony as he watched the carriage.

"James, what's going on!" Petra shouted.

Ivor had a hand wrapped around Lukas, still weak from his wounds, to keep him upright.

Petra advanced, glare fierce and almost scared.

"James! What is going on!"

James was staring at the carriage, watching the abyss within, unblinkingly.

"JAMES!"

Something flickered beyond the darkness and James grew fearful.

"GET DOWN!"

He grabbed Petra and Jesse and dived towards the ground as Ivor tackled Lukas at James' warning.

There was a flash of gold and darkness before a terrible sound filled the sky, reaching the heavens with its terrible song.

Jesse clenched his eyes shut and covered his ears, groaning as waves of heat and cold washed over him. His side hurt from being thrown to the ground, but he was glad that he was no longer standing.

Suddenly it stopped.

There was a high ringing in Jesse's ears as he tried to understand what had happened. He could vaguely comprehend that James and Petra had already stood up beside him.

He struggled to get to his feet, black spots danced in his vision before they cleared. The ringing in his ears finally stopped, and he turned to face the carriage.

And he froze.

For there, in front of the falling debris, stood five of those beasts from before. Golden eyes flickered behind the shadows that were their faces.

Instead of the six legs like the ones they had battled earlier, they had eight, four on either side of their body, and three tails. They waved back and forth, mesmerising.

One of its jaws opened and Jesse cringed as steam come from the mouth, its teeth so sharp it could rival Petra's sword.

"Ivor, how many potions of healing do you have?" Petra asked.

Ivor rummaged through his pack and came up with four more bottles. Petra cringed as she saw the small amount. Coming to a quick decision, she held out her hand.

"Ivor give James one potion, he's gonna need to use his arm."

James looked down at her in surprise, "Petra, we can't waste it."

She caught the potion that Ivor threw at her and handed it to him, "We're not wasting anything. These things," the beasts growled, "they can die from fall damage right?"

"Yes- oh." James grinned and understood what she was trying to say, "I see. Well, let's hope this plan works."

Petra smirked and shouted, "Ivor, Lukas, Jesse! We gotta drive them off the edge of the Overpass! Try not to get hit!"

She ran ahead, "Lukas cover me!"

One of the beasts charged at her but wheeled back as an arrow was embedded in its shoulder. Lukas fired rapidly, giving Petra an advantage as she swung her sword down quick on its leg.

It howled in pain and tried to swipe at her with its claws. Another arrow appeared in its shoulder.

Jesse stared in awe as Petra continued to battle it alone, only remembering he had the same problem when his hair stood on end as if he were being electrocuted.

He ducked. Just in time too as a beast sailed over his head. It landed back on its feet and snarled at him.

He dodged out of the way of the many tails. Hearing a 'whoosh' as it passed him. Jesse saw a protruding arrow sprout from the base of its neck and the beast staggered. He hacked at one of the tails that came too close, and like a hot knife meets butter, it came clean off.

The beast shrieked as it found out to only have two more tails remaining. Jesse watched in disgust as the disembodied tail continued to thrash, a weird black ooze came from the wound.

A flash of white and suddenly Jesse was blocking one of its claws from piercing into him. He held his sword up, the beast's claws grinding against the diamond sword created an awful noise.

He threw the beast's paw and twisted away and out of its reach.

"Jesse! DUCK!"

He dropped to the ground as one of Ivor's potion, tied onto an arrow, sailed through the air and hit the beast in the face. The potion exploded once the glass shattered. The beast let out a whine and backed off, shaking its head, disoriented and in pain from the exploding arrow.

Jesse smiled and leapt at it, "Thanks Lukas!" He brought his sword down on its muzzle. His blade sunk into the beast and cut clean through.

The beast let out a howl, and Jesse covered his ears and winced, the sound odd and chokey as it no longer had the front of its mouth. He saw his opportunity as it let out another long howl of pain, exposing its neck.

Quick as lightning, he slashed his sword through its neck, abruptly cutting off its final howl as it slumped backward. It was dead before it even hit the ground.

Jesse heaved, out of breath from his fight.

Before he could fully catch his breath, a weight crashed into him. James had been thrown away from the Overpass and into Jesse.

They crashed into a rock and Jesse groaned as he felt his recently healed arm, dislocate again. They fell back onto the ground, and James wasn't getting up.

"James? James!" He shook his friend roughly, panicking as a slow trickle of blood came from his mouth.

"JAMES!"

The man groaned and his eyes fluttered weakly and unfocused, but Jesse was glad that at least he was awake.

Jesse and James both froze as the beast that James had been fighting earlier loomed over them. Its shadow cast over them, and all they could see were flashes of white teeth and amused golden eyes as it prowled closer and closer.

Jesse reached for his sword, only to come back empty handed. He looked around frantically and spotted it a few yards away, behind the beast.

James pushed himself to his knees and stood between him and the beast, protecting Jesse.

The beast growled and it grinned. Now that it was closer, Jesse could see that it had rows of teeth. Smaller canines protruding from outside its mouth, saliva dripping onto the ground, yet the life beneath it didn't die.

They cowered back as the beast got nearer and nearer, until it was almost nose to nose with James. It seemed to chuckle, deep and low, as it opened its maw like a snake, the bottom of its jaw going so far that it reached its chest.

It was going to swallow them whole.

Jesse closed his eyes. If he was going to die, he didn't want that to be his last image. James closed his eyes as well.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get you home Jesse."

He choked down a sob that threatened to escape him.

"It's okay James." His heart felt heavy, his stomach full of lead as he felt the hot breath of the beast.

Then there was a loud sound and a flash of light. Jesse opened his eyes and saw the arrow that came from the beast's eye. The broken remnants of a potion tangled in its shadows.

It screeched and backed away, shaking its head vigorously as potions of harming shattered over its frame.

Suddenly there was a pounding of feet against stone behind them and Lukas leapt into the air, shooting three arrows into its face before rolling to the ground and under it, grabbing Jesse's sword at the same time.

Jesse and James could only stare in awe as Lukas, livid and fierce, raged the beast with arrows and attacks with Jesse's sword.

The boy was a surprise to the beast, it hadn't registered that there might be more people protecting the two other fighters.

It hissed at Lukas and tried to swat at him with its claws. The blond danced out of the way, dodging its attacks.

The beast howled in pain as Lukas slashed at the back of three of its legs. It stood shakily, either from pain or anger, Jesse didn't know.

Deciding that battling the blond was too much trouble for the beast, it tried to move forward only to hiss and back away as three more arrows attacked its front.

"Stay away from my friends!"

Its three tails whipped behind it, livid that the archer dared to interrupt its meal. It let out another unearthly screech and jumped at Lukas who quickly moved away, from James and Jesse and towards the Overpass.

They could only watch in awe and shock as Lukas continued to best the monster. Taunting it, drawing it closer and closer to the edge. But from all the dodging and fighting, it was only reasonable that Lukas was getting tired.

He slowed and began to get sloppy, his breathing ragged and harsh. The beast saw its opportunity and lunged, wrapping its teeth around Lukas' shoulder and crushed.

Lukas screamed in agony as blood poured from the wound. But he wasn't going to give up yet, he was so close.

He shoved an arrow into it snout and the beast yanked itself away. Lukas felt sick as his blood, that was his blood, dripped from its mouth and teeth. He backed away, closer and closer till his feet were nearly over the edge of the Overpass. The beast snarled and leapt at him.

At the last second, Lukas ducked and shot four more arrows into the beasts underbelly as it sailed over him and into the abyss down below.

Another shriek and howl signaled Petra's and Ivor's win as the last beast fell down. Lukas smiled and shakily got to his feet, the blood dripping from his shoulder wound. He managed to go five steps before collapsing to his hands and knees.

"LUKAS!"

Petra became aware of her friend's injuries as she heard a thud and saw Lukas kneeling on the ground. She ran to his side quickly, panicking at the amount of blood pooling underneath him. There was so much blood. He was too pale.

"IVOR! POTIONS NOW!"

Lukas gasped as black dots filled his vision. He was so tired, but he couldn't fall asleep just yet, that was too dangerous.

Jesse and James were running as soon as they saw Lukas collapse. Jesse skidded on his knees and knelt by Lukas.

Jesse held Lukas' face, "Lukas? Hey, hey man look at me. You need to stay awake okay, keep your eyes open for me."

Lukas smiled and let out a low chuckled despite the tremendous amount of pain he was in.

"Wasn't really planning on sleeping Jess." His words slurred as he spoke.

Petra was desperately trying to stop the amount of blood that would keep pouring from his wound. His armor didn't stand a chance against that beast.

"Here, these are the last two potions."Ivor shoved them at Petra, voice wavering as he stared at the blonde. Petra took them hastily and poured one bottle over the wound. The bleeding slowed as the potion started to work.

Jesse smiled, "See Lukas, you're going to be fine, but you can't fall asleep just yet."

Lukas nodded, his eyes drooping. "I know, I know. 'M jus' tired."

Petra held the potion in front of him, "Lukas I'm gonna need you to drink this okay, then you can sleep okay, we can rest but only if you drink this."

He nodded and held the potion, almost dropping it when Petra let go. They sighed in relief once Lukas drank it, his wounds closing up and the color slowly returning to his skin.

Jesse patted his back gently, "Okay, you're okay. You can sleep now."

Lukas nodded, his eyes already dropping closed as his head fell on Jesse's shoulder. He smiled and let exhaled, he hadn't expected any of this to happen. He turned towards the ruined carriage, the roof and the walls had been destroyed by whatever had happened.

"James, what happened earlier? What was that darkness?" Jesse stared at him imploringly.

James just sighed and dragged a hand over his face. "I-I don't know exactly it was. I've only ever heard of these things happening in old tales."

Petra frowned, "Fine, we don't know what that darkness thing was, but what were those monsters?"

He hesitated, "Those, those things- those were the _s_ _ē_ _f_ _ō_ _rma_. It means, without shape. They are creatures of darkness, and so they are darkness. They can come in any skin, but they do not have a true form."

" _S_ _ē_ _f_ _ō_ _rma._ " Ivor pronounced the word. It seemed familiar to him somehow.

James nodded, "They were said to have been killed, wiped out years ago. The fact that they are here now." His tone got lower and his face darkened, "That they are here now is grave news."

They sat in silence, the only sound came from Lukas' heavy breathing as he rested. Beams of light filtered through the clouds, what used to be flickers of gold now turned into rays as the darkness disappeared.

James looked at all of them, eyes resting on Lukas as he spoke.

"We need to seek council, come."

James stood and reached his hands out for Jesse to move Lukas to. He lifted the unconscious boy, he was so light, and held him bridal style.

"Where are we going?"

"We need to seek the wisdom from the _ultr_ _ā_ _multus_ , the people beyond many. They can provide us the information we need." James trekked on, moving through the foliage as the others followed him.

 _Ultrābellum,_ _īnfrācaro, los S_ _ē_ _f_ _ō_ _rma sup_ _ē_ _rgredītur_

 **Beyond war, below flesh, those without shape rise**

 _Ultrāetās, los s_ _ēf_ _ūmus_ _ēi car_ _ō_ _fācti auri_ _ē_ _n_

 **Beyond age, those of the smoke and flesh become gold**


End file.
